The Legacy of Korra
by Mataras
Summary: Aang's time has passed and the time has come for his heir to accept the mantle of the Avatar, the Keeper of the Balance between the nations and spirit-kind. Korra thinks herself ready for the challenges that the world has to offer, but she has a long way to go. Fortunately, a new Team Avatar has her back, joined by Aang's eldest grandson, Gyatso. Disclaimers on the Legend of Korra
1. Legacy of Aang

**A/N: Presenting a collaborated effort between The Red Swordsman (Mataras), Othniel (JoshthePoser), and Rebeeza (Matarasisbae).**

 **In this newly reconstructed version of Korra's journey to become a great Avatar, we will be joined by many old friends, as well as many new ones. Some things will be the same as before, some will be vastly different, but all of it promises to be good. All four seasons will be covered, in addition to filling in a few blanks, so this story will be active for a very long time (so if you're looking for a lengthy adventure, you've come to the right place). I also recommend having at least read the Last Airbender comics The Promise and The Search, but it is not mandatory.**

 **I wish a Happy New Year of 2017 to all of my old readers and friends, as well as all newcomers to my work- I welcome you with open arms, and I sincerely hope that you enjoy this story as much as I have enjoyed writing it.**

* * *

 _The son of the age past  
Seeks out the scion of light  
Their lives are joined, intertwined  
Fate is cast_

* * *

Legacy of Aang

Earth. Fire. Air. Water.

When I was a boy, my father, the son of Avatar Aang, recounted the tale of how my grandfather and his friends heroically ended the Hundred-Year War.

The Fire Nation had declared war on the world, and they were intent on bringing every culture under their own banner. Only the Avatar, master of all four elements, could stop them. But when the world needed him most, he vanished.

A full century passed before my grandmother and her brother found my grandfather, the new avatar, frozen in an iceberg, where he had been for all of his self-imposed exile. When they first found him, he had no chance of stopping the Fire Nation. But my grandmother never gave up hope. From the very beginning, she believed that Aang would save the world.

And as it turned out- she was right.

With the help of the new Firelord Zuko, my grandfather and his friends transformed the Fire Nation Colonies into the United Republic of Nations. A place where people of all cultures could come together to thrive in peace and harmony.

Avatar Aang accomplished many great things in his life. But sadly, his time in this world came to an end. And like the cycle of the seasons, the cycle of the Avatar began anew.

* * *

"I feel him, Father," said a boy with dark hair and pale gray eyes that matched his father's. He was standing in a snowdrift, holding the hand of a tall, bearded man who wore a long yellow cloak to ward off the chill of the South Pole's winter winds. Like his father, the boy wore a combination of yellow and red, signifying his heritage as an Air Nomad, though he was not bald like the older airbender.

His gaze was directed at an igloo, a common home for many of those that lived in the Southern Water Tribe. There was absolutely nothing to distinguish the house from the others in the area, save for the presence that the child sensed within it.

"Well done, Gyatso," his father said as he followed his gaze.

"Tenzin, why are we following your son around in the snow?" The pair turned around to see a heavy-set man with a receding hairline dressed in blue-and-white robes scowling at the child. They were the representatives of the organization known as the White Lotus, a group that had been tasked by Aang to find his heir so that they could be protected and trained until they were ready to strike out on their own. So perhaps it was understandable that they would be upset about their search methods being upstaged by a boy that came up to waist-height. "You have no proof that this is going to work." The two men behind him said nothing, but Tenzin could tell that they shared in their leader's doubts.

"I'm here because my son has always displayed extraordinary gifts in connecting to the spiritual realm," Tenzin answered. "And because every lead that you have chased down so far has come to nothing. I thought it was time we tried something a little different." Gyatso said nothing, but he did notice the smile that his father hid by turning his back to the men behind them.

The balding man seemed insulted, but he held his tongue for the time being. He couldn't refute what Tenzin had said, and there was the unspoken fact that he _was_ Aang's son. Out of any of them, he would know best what to look for in the Avatar's heir.

It still didn't make it any less bizarre that the only master Airbender in the entire world was acting on the words of a seven-year-old boy.

Gyatso was the oldest child of Pema and Tenzin, and their only child. Like his grandfather before him, he showed great talent in the art of airbending, and like his father, he took his studies of the ancient Air Nomads seriously. He spent much of his spare time buried in books and scrolls, trying to learn as much as he could about his ancestors in addition to the cycle of the Avatar. His mother, he treated with great respect, and his father, with the admiration worthy of a king.

His only great weakness was that he was painfully shy with new people, and he had severe difficulty connecting to the people around him. If anyone other than his parents tried to talk to him, he would usually clam up and give one-worded answers as much as he could. In truth, it was one of the reasons why Tenzin had decided to take his son with him on the quest to find the avatar. He hoped that being out of the comfort zone of Air Temple Island would force him to open up more to new people.

The events that had led to the two of them being in the South Pole in the first place were strange, even for Tenzin's son. The boy could only vaguely recall brief snippets of memories with his grandfather since he had been little more than a toddler when he passed away, but he still felt a strong connection to the man on a spiritual level.

Over the last few months, he would have a recurring dream every night where he would be flying across the night amidst the dark southern horizon with Aang, atop of Appa, his grandfather's sky bison. Sitting in the pilot's seat, his grandfather would reach up, touch the sky, and suddenly the evening would be ablaze with celestial spirit lights that matched the ones in the north. The light would blind the boy for a moment, but when it cleared, Aang did not look like his grandfather, but a twelve-year-old boy. The Avatar would then turn to Gyatso and say, "I think I'm lost. Can you tell me where I am?" The dream always ended after that.

It had taken some time, but eventually, Gyatso worked up the courage to tell his father about the strange dreams he was having. To his surprise, Tenzin became very interested in it, asking him many questions about what he had seen in the dream. Once he had finished asking everything that he could think of, Tenzin had leaned back in his chair and asked, "What do you think the dream means, Son?"

Gyatso had hesitated over his answer for some time before coming up with a reply. "I think Gramp-Gramp is lost," he said. "And I need to find him. Or at least, the new him." The boy knew of the reincarnation process from his studies, so of course he knew that he wouldn't actually find Aang, but rather his grandfather's heir.

Tenzin had pondered his son's words for some time before he asked the child, "If I took you to the South, do you think you could find him?"

"I… think so," Gyatso answered hesitantly. "I'll do my best, Father."

"Then I'll speak with your mother so we can leave as soon as possible," Tenzin said.

Pema had wished them well and asked them to give Tenzin's mother, Katara, her regards before they took off on their trip.

All of which led them to where they were now, the front door of an igloo in the South during the winter. "I'll be doing the talking," Tenzin said to the others, who scowled in disapproval. Seeing this, the tall airbender said, "Once we've finished with the introductions, we will discuss the particulars of my father's final will in private with the parents."

"You sound certain that this is where the new Avatar will be," the balding man objected again.

"I trust my son," Tenzin replied before he knocked on the wooden door, the only thing on the structure that didn't seem to be made of ice.

For a moment, there was only the sound of the howling blizzard winds, but then the door opened from within to reveal a powerfully built man that was just as tall as Tenzin. He was dark of skin, his hair was a deep brown that framed intelligent blue eyes, and he carried himself with an air of confidence. His clothes and boots were thick and lined with fur that helped ward off the cold, but even they could not hide the raw power of his frame. He shut the door behind him as he eyed the four men and child in front of him before he said with a deep, strong voice, "How may I help you, strangers?" His tone indicated that the greeting was only a formality, and nothing more.

"Good evening," Tenzin said with a respectful bow. "I am Tenzin, son of Avatar Aang. The men behind me are with the White Lotus." Recognition sparked in the Water Tribe man's eyes, so Tenzin added, "I assume you can guess why we're here?"

"You're Master Tenzin?" the man said with surprise. His restrained hostility vanished as he reached out to shake hands with the airbender and added, "The nephew of Chief Sokka if I'm not mistaken?"

"I am," Tenzin nodded. Gesturing down to indicate the boy beside him, he said, "This is my son, Gyatso. He led us here in the hopes of finding the next avatar."

"Hello, Gyatso," the man said as he knelt down in the snow to be level with the child. He extended his strong hand for the boy to shake as he smiled and added, "My name is Tonraq. It's nice to meet you."

"It's nice to meet you too," Gyatso said shyly, barely managing to force himself to shake hands with the big man. Still, Tonraq seemed friendly enough, he thought. Or at least, he seemed to like kids, if the smile he was receiving was anything to go by.

"You've got a polite young man there," Tonraq said as he stood up straight once again. "And you said he led you here?"

"My son has always had a strong affinity for spiritual matters," Tenzin replied with a slight smile of his own. "Recently, he gave me good reason to believe that his grandfather was calling him here."

"Well, I know that there was a pretty _strong_ reason," Tonraq smiled as he opened up the door to his home. "I don't know if 'good' is the right word for it, though."

"What do you mean?" Tenzin asked as they all stepped into the house. Then his eyes widened as he saw the amount of things strewn about the interior of the home.

"Mother wouldn't like it if my room looked like this," Gyatso said mildly as the White Lotus men came in, followed by Tonraq, who shut the door, and blocking the wind from outside.

The home itself looked comfortable to live in, with a good-sized kitchen on one side of the room, the middle part serving as a dining area, and two doors that seemed to lead to the bedrooms. However, many of the decorations that looked like they were supposed to line the walls were scattered around the room, on the floor, some on the table, a wolf's head even being in the sink. There were also fragments of several broken plates scattered around the floor, leading Tenzin to remind his son to watch his step while inside.

And in the middle of it all was a young woman that looked very surprised to be having guests at the hour. Her hair was dark brown and her eyes were blue like sapphires. Her skin was a bit lighter than her husband's, but not by much. She looked over at the water tribe man as she said, "Tonraq, I thought I told you to let me know whenever you were planning on having friends over." She looked a little tired and scratched up, Gyatso thought.

"Sorry, Senna, but _I_ didn't know that we would be having guests over tonight either," he said with another bright smile as he moved over to hug the woman. "These gentlemen are from the White Lotus, and they want to meet Korra."

"Korra?" Gyatso surprised everyone as he repeated the name. "Is that the name of the new Avatar?"

"That's our daughter's name, yes," Senna replied. "To be honest, I'm surprised that the White Lotus replied to our message so quickly. I thought it would be at least another few days."

"We didn't come in in response to a request," Tenzin said. "We came here on behalf of my son."

Senna cocked her head at the young boy with gray eyes, who immediately averted his gaze and shuffled his feet awkwardly. "What's your name, little one?" she asked.

"This is Gyatso," Tenzin said as he bowed to the lady of the house. "My name is Tenzin. His grandfather was Aang, and he sensed my father's presence, which is what led us here."

"Master Tenzin believes that your child is 'the one," the balding man said as he stepped out from behind the tall airbender, impatient to get things underway. "But we have investigated many claims, both here and in the northern tribe. Do you have any way to prove that-" He was silenced when Tonraq held up a single hand to indicate that he wanted quiet.

Then he and his wife shared a smile that left both Tenzin and Gyatso with sinking feelings in their guts. Senna drew in a breath before shouting, "Korra! Please come in here!"

 _Blam!_

One of the doors to the other rooms immediately flew off of its hinges, narrowly missing the leader of the White Lotus trio, and causing all of the guests' jaws to drop with shock.

"I'm the Avatar, you gotta deal with it!" The declaration came from a five-year-old girl dressed in the usual blue garb of the water tribes. Her skin was deeply tanned like her father and mother's, and her blue eyes shone with the brilliance of the noon sky. She was striking a ridiculous pose that showed her rounded potbelly, though she seemed to be taking herself quite seriously.

Moving quickly, she spammed several fire blasts before whipping up some water from a puddle that had gathered on the floor to smother a small fire she had started on one of the White Lotus men's cloak. Stamping her feet, she caused small parts of the ground to jut upwards until she decided that she had successfully demonstrated her abilities for long enough. With a final motion, she put all of the moved earth back so that the house's floor was level once again.

"Any doubts left?" Tenzin remarked to his colleague.

"All right, we won't doubt Gyatso again," the balding man sighed heavily. Looking down at the child somewhat begrudgingly, he said in a lowered voice, "Well done, young man."

But the boy wasn't paying attention to him. His entire focus was directed solely at Korra, who noticed his stare after a moment, and decided that she didn't like it. "What's your problem?" she demanded as she stood face-to-face with the airbender.

"My grandfather was reborn into _you_?" he said with disbelief. He'd always heard that his grandfather was a gentle, restrained man of honor, not a brash show-off like the girl in front of him.

"What'd your grandpa do?" the younger girl asked hotly.

"Korra, sweetie, be nice to this boy," Senna said firmly. "His friends came all this way just to find you, so I expect you to be kind to our guests."

"But he's staring at me!" she protested. "I don't like it!"

"Sorry if I made you mad," Gyatso said mildly. "You just… You're not what I expected. Not from the Avatar."

"Well I'm the Avatar now, so I decide what the Avatar is like," Korra said stubbornly.

"Korra…" Tonraq said warningly with a frown.

"Sorry, Dad," Korra mumbled, finally subsiding.

"Mister Tonraq, if you wouldn't mind, there a few matters that we would like to discuss in private," Tenzin said, interrupting the exchange. "Specifically concerning the will my late father in regards to the new Avatar."

"Of course," Tonraq nodded. "We expected as much." Turning to Korra, he said, "It's time for the grown-ups to talk, sweetie. Please go wait in your room, okay?"

"Aw…" she pouted.

"Gyatso, go with her," Tenzin instructed his son. "I'll come get you when we're done talking."

"Y-Yes, Father," Gyatso said nervously, eyeing the girl beside him with apprehension. It was clear that she didn't like him, and she definitely wasn't afraid of showing off her bending talents.

Seeing his nervous face, Tonraq guessed at the reason behind it, so he said, "Korra, no bending while you're in there with Gyatso, understand?"

"Aw, but-"

"No buts!" he said sternly. "Now go on, we won't be very long."

"Okay…" she said glumly as she turned around and walked into her room through the hole in the wall that she had made.

As she did, Gyatso bowed to the big man and said with evident relief, "Thank you, Sir."

"Of course," Tonraq nodded. Then Gyatso walked into Korra's room, being careful to avoid the broken ice fragments around his feet. As soon as he stepped past the broken wall, Tonraq used his bending to repair the door's frame so that it was as though Korra's destructive rampage had never happened.

It was dark in the room with nothing but the dim glow of the crescent moon shining through the window. Still, there was enough light for Gyatso to see Korra sitting on her bed with a glum expression as she lightly kicked her heels against the bedframe in a back-and-forth pattern. On one of the walls was a shelf that held a number of different toys, and underneath it was a dresser that the boy assumed held clothing for the other child.

"So…" he said awkwardly. "I'm sorry I got us put in here." Korra stuck her tongue out at him in response, so he decided to be quiet as to avoid further antagonizing the girl.

After a few quiet moments, Korra perked up and asked, "Whaddya think they're talkin' about?"

"Grown-up stuff," Gyatso replied cautiously, afraid she might strike him if he gave her an answer she didn't like. "Father didn't tell me what they were going to talk about."

"Aw…" she pouted. Then she hopped off the bed as she said, "It's probably boring, though. Grown-ups are always talking about boring stuff."

"Like what?" Gyatso asked curiously, his fear beginning to reduce a bit.

"Like going fishing and work and houses," Korra answered. "I like it better when it's just me with Mommy and Daddy. They tell me lots of cool stories."

"So does my father," Gyatso remarked.

"Cool!" Korra chirped. "What kind of stories? Daddy always tells me stories about the spirits and heroes from the water tribe."

"My father tells me stories about spirits, too," Gyatso said. "He also tells me a lot of stories about the Avatar's past lives."

"I'm the Avatar, but I haven't done much," Korra said, her head cocked. "I didn't know that there were stories about me. Are there any good ones?"

"Well, they're not about you exactly," Gyatso said slowly, trying to think of how he could explain things to Korra. It was becoming apparent that she was unfamiliar with the reincarnation process of the Avatar Cycle. "See, my grandfather used to be the Avatar. But when he died, the world needed a new Avatar, so that's when you were born, I guess. It's your turn to be a hero like in the stories your dad tells you."

"So your grandpa was a hero like me?" Korra asked.

"Yes," Gyatso nodded, even though she wasn't entirely correct. "He was so cool… When he was only thirteen, he saved the whole world from the evil Firelord, Ozai. He saved a lot of people, he was nice to everyone, and he tried to do what was right every day."

"That sounds hard," Korra said with a slight frown. "Do I need to be like him?"

"You should try," Gyatso nodded. "Even if he wasn't the Avatar, Gramp-Gramp was a hero. Don't you want to be a hero?"

"Yeah!" Korra smiled. "Can you teach me how to be a hero, uh…?" She fumbled with her words, realizing that she had forgotten his name already.

"I'm Gyatso," the boy said as he reached out his hand for her to shake.

So he was surprised when Korra reached out quickly and grabbed his forearm in the traditional water tribe warrior's greeting and said, "Nice to meet 'cha, Gyatso. I'm Korra." The words barely registered with the boy, though. He was staring at their interlocked arms, surprise on his face. His great-uncle, Sokka, had shown him the gesture many times before, saying that it was a gesture of great respect and friendship to clasp arms in that manner.

"Are you okay, Gyatso?" Korra asked.

"Umm…" Gyatso said blankly. "You're holding my arm."

"So?" Korra asked. "Daddy does this with his friends from work all the time."

"But… I thought it was only something that friends do," Gyatso replied.

"Well, if you teach me how to be a hero, I'll be your friend," Korra said. "Is that okay? Will you be friends with me?"

"I thought you were mad at me," the boy said.

"That was forever ago," Korra replied, waving the matter aside. "You seem nice now, so I'll be friends with you."

"Okay…" Gyatso said slowly, his mind racing. Truth be told, he didn't have any friends. His entire social circle consisted of his family, and people that were much older than he was. Only the most devoted of Air Acolytes lived on Air Temple Island, so other than Gyatso, no children were present there. He'd never had the chance to interact with anyone even remotely close to his own age in a significant manner.

"What's wrong?" Korra asked. "Do you not like me?"

"No!" Gyatso said quickly. "It's just… I don't have any friends. I… don't know how to be a friend."

"That's okay, I don't either," Korra said with a bright smile. "But I always wanted to have a friend. And if I was your first friend, we could figure it out together, right?"

"I suppose so," Gyatso nodded. "All right, Korra. I'll be your friend." And he gripped her forearm, sealing the pact between them. "I'll tell you everything I know about my grandfather, and how he was a hero."

"Yay!" she laughed. "I have a friend!" Her declaration brought a smile to Gyatso's face, though he wasn't entirely certain why that was.

"So what should we start with?" he asked as they released each other.

"Umm…" Korra said while she thought. Then she got an idea, and she turned around and looked up at the shelf that held her toys. "I know! I've got something I wanna show you." She reached up to get ahold of one of the dolls resting on the wooden pane, but her reach was insignificant for the task. "Darn," she scowled. "I'll have to get Daddy."

"Hold on, the grown-ups are still talking," Gyatso said to stop her. "They won't like it if we interrupt them."

"But I can't use my earthbending to get up there," Korra pouted. "Daddy will get mad if I use my bending, cos he told me not to bend while you were here."

"Maybe, but nobody said I couldn't bend," Gyatso said with the ghost of a smile. Eyeing the shadowed object she had been reaching for, he raised his right hand and thrust it forward while making a small spiraling motion. A minute gust of wind swept through the room at his behest, plucking the doll from the shelf and depositing it on the bed next to Korra.

"That…" Korra said with wide eyes. "That was so _cool_!" she squealed. "What was that?"

"Airbending," Gyatso replied with a hint of pride in his voice. "My father and I are the only ones that know how to use it."

"Ooh! Can you teach me how to do that?!" Korra asked excitedly. "I've never seen anything like that!"

"Maybe someday," Gyatso nodded. "Since you're the Avatar, you can learn how to do it eventually."

"Awesome!" Korra giggled. "I can't wait!" She was bouncing on the balls of her feet from excitement.

"Was there something you wanted to show me?" the boy reminded the young Avatar.

"Oh, yeah!" Korra smiled. She picked up the doll and held it out for the boy to see. Gyatso moved a couple of paces closer, and he was surprised to see that Korra was holding a doll in the likeness of an airbending master, complete with blue tattoos and a bald head. "Doesn't he look like your dad?" Korra asked.

"Yeah," Gyatso said as he stared at the toy. "Do you mind if I hold it?"

"Okay, but be really careful," Korra warned him. "Daddy says that toy is really old."

"It is…" Gyatso said as he held the soft object. "This is very old… My people made it."

"Huh?" Korra asked.

"The old Air Nomads, the ones that my grandfather lived with," Gyatso explained. "They made this. I can tell from the fabric that was used and the way they put it together. It's ancient, made almost two hundred years ago."

"That's super-old!" Korra said with wide eyes. "A lot of my toys don't even last one year!"

"My people built their things to last a long time," Gyatso said, a bit of pride entering his voice again. "They travelled around the world, so they wanted to make sure that their things would survive the trips they took."

"Kinda like how you travelled a long way to come find me?" Korra asked.

"Yeah," Gyatso nodded. "But since this is really old, I wouldn't play with it too hard, or it might break."

"That's what Dad said," Korra replied. "I think it looks cool, so I just let it sit up on the shelf all the time."

"It is pretty cool," Gyatso said as he held out the toy for Korra to take it back.

To his shock, she pushed the toy back towards him and said, "I want you to have it."

"What?" he asked, blinking with surprise. "But it's yours, and you just said that you really like it."

"I know it's mine, so I can give it to you if I want," Korra insisted. "And I do like it, but you seem to like it a lot more than me. So I think you should have it instead."

"I…" Gyatso was at a loss for words. This was a relic of his grandfather's past, something that he couldn't have found, even if he tried. "Thank you, Korra."

"You're welcome," she said. "I'm glad you like it."

"Since you gave me a gift, I'll have to get you something in return," he said.

"It's okay, I have plenty of toys here," Korra said, dismissing his offer. "I just wanna hear about your grandpa, and how he was a hero, so I can be like all the people in my dad's stories."

"Okay," Gyatso said as he moved closer to the bed. "Can I sit with you?"

"Sure," the girl nodded as she jumped up on the mattress to sit cross-legged. "You sit there," she added as she pointed at the spot in front of her. Gyatso obliged her, careful not to damage the toy as he climbed up to sit across from her.

"Okay," he said once he was comfortable. "Ready?"

"Yeah-huh."

"Once upon a time, there was a boy asleep in an iceberg," he began. "There were two other children, a brother and a sister, who were out looking for something to eat…"

* * *

The adults ended up talking long into the night, but the two children hardly noticed the time passing. When one of them would finish telling a story, the other would have a tale of their own to tell.

Gyatso told Korra the story of how his grandfather and his friends made it into the Fire Nation in order to meet the spirit of Roku, the Avatar before Aang. She listened with rapt attention as he described the bravery of Chief Sokka, his sister, and their young airbending friend.

When he had concluded his tale, Korra told him a somewhat short version of how the moon and water spirit had come into the mortal realm to be a part of the world that they played so big a role in. According to her father, the moon and the water spirits were tired of listening to the great spirits bicker amongst themselves about the fate of those under their charge.

Some of the High Old Ones wanted the water spirit to retract his gift of liquid life to the humans so that they would leave both worlds open to the spirits alone, and others wanted the moon to cease shining in the night sky as to leave the night forever black, and forcing people to stay in hiding during the dark hours, so that the wild spirits could have control over the realm for at least part of the day.

But the water and moon spirits both loved humankind, and they refused to retract their gifts. Thus they chose to take matters into their own hands by leaving the spirit realm and becoming a permanent part of the human world. In this manner, they were no longer beholden to the commands of the great spirits, but in doing so, they gave up their immortality. Even so, they would live for a very long time, and their influence in the affairs of humans would be matched by very few.

In response, Gyatso recounted the story of when Aang and the exiled Prince Zuko first worked together to escape the watch of an evil Fire Nation Admiral. His new friend then told him about how the first waterbenders watched the moon's influence over the ocean in the form of the waves that crashed on the beach, and learned how to harness the technique themselves.

On and on they went, until the darkest point of the night had passed, and the sun began to peak out over the frozen tundra. And in those sleepless hours was formed a bond that would continue to grow in strength for many years to come.

* * *

The next afternoon, after Tenzin had gotten some much-needed sleep and visited with his mother, he and his son left the Southern Water Tribe on the back of Oogi, his massive sky bison. As they rose in the sky, the bald airbender noticed that Gyatso was looking back at the ground below, instead of sitting near the front of the saddle, as was his wont.

"Is everything all right, Son?" Tenzin asked him.

"Yes, Father," the boy nodded as he turned around to face the older man directly. "I was just wondering… Umm…" He hesitated.

"What is it?" Tenzin asked kindly. "You've done very well, you know. If you wanted to ask me for something, I think you've earned it."

"No, it's not that," Gyatso said quickly. "I meant… Well, I just wanted to know when we'll come back here."

"Hmm?" Tenzin asked with a raised brow. "Probably not for some time. Why do you ask?"

"Oh," the boy said, sounding disappointed. "I was hoping I could come and see Korra again soon."

"I thought she scared you," Tenzin teased his son.

To his surprise, however, Gyatso shook his head vehemently and replied, "Not anymore. She's my friend."

Tenzin was stunned into silence at those words. _Gyatso… made a friend?_

* * *

Since it quickly became apparent that Gyatso wouldn't be able to visit as often as they would have liked, the two young friends began a habit of writing each other letters whenever they could. At first, they both had their mothers write the letters for them, but as time passed, and they began to grow, they wrote the letters themselves.

Over the course of three years, Gyatso managed to visit Korra two or three times each year, though she never got the chance to leave the Southern Water Tribe, much to her chagrin. During this time, many significant events passed for them both.

Korra mastered Waterbending to the satisfaction of Katara, her instructor- and the former wife of Aang, Gyatso's grandmother. Gyatso was present for her final exam, much to her delight, as well as his grandmother's.

Korra also became the first person to befriend a polar bear-dog shortly after Gyatso visited her the first time in the company of the White Lotus. She named her Naga, after a Spirit Guardian from an old Water Tribe tale. The pup took a quick liking to Gyatso when the two of them first met, and the airbender boy found himself liking the white-furred animal very well himself.

On Gyatso's side of things, the boy was well on his way to mastering some of the most advanced airbending forms, his progress astounding his father, who had not attempted the final forms of airbending until he was fourteen. The boy quickly mastered the glider as well, finding himself at home in the sky more than he had expected. Normally he was a cautious, reserved individual, but when he soared through the sky, his daring maneuvers became the subject of awe for many acolytes that happened to spot him speeding through the air.

He also found himself the older brother to a new baby sister early on in the first of the three years, whom his parents christened 'Jinora'. She was a quiet and tame little girl, much like how Gyatso had been when he was a toddler himself. After meeting her new grandchild, Katara predicted that she would be a strong airbender like her brother. The news excited Tenzin greatly, and while Pema was happy that her husband's wish of bringing back the air nomads was coming true, she bemoaned the fact that she had yet to deliver a child without bending abilities- a child that would turn out like their mother, in other words.

But to the shock of Gyatso's family, and unlike most children presented with the prospect of being an older sibling, the boy became even more withdrawn into himself after the arrival of Jinora, excusing himself from spending time with the little girl by delving even deeper into his studies.

It troubled his parents deeply that he seemed to prefer time in his books than with his own sister. His studies and dedication to his learning were not bad things, but the way that he balanced his commitments were concerning, to say the least. Every time he was put in the nursery room with Jinora, he would stare blankly at the little child for some moments before looking up at his parents with a confused look, as if wondering what he was supposed to do with her.

He sensed that his parents were somehow disappointed in his actions, but he wasn't certain of how to deal with it, so he simply continued his studies, doing his best to impress them the way that he had before his baby sister showed up. His dedication to the air nomad culture's ways _did_ at least show his parents that he wasn't being defiant for the sake of it- more that he had a specific difficulty that he would need to take time to conquer on his own.

Still, with Pema due to have another baby within the next few days, Tenzin knew that Gyatso needed some kind of push to get him used to the idea of having younger siblings, and that he couldn't just avoid them forever.

Eventually, Gyatso's father had the idea that if Korra took a liking to Jinora, perhaps his son would follow her lead. Thus he announced that the entire family would be taking a trip down to the South before Pema's third pregnancy came to term. She was nearly due, but Tenzin knew that if she were to deliver in the southern tribe, it would give his own mother a chance to spend time with all of her grandchildren.

This news excited Gyatso even more than it had in the past, because he knew that Korra had also celebrated a birthday recently, and he had something special to mark the occasion. As soon as the family was ready to travel, they took off on Oogi's back to make the trip to the south.

* * *

On the day that they could see the town where Korra lived in the distance, Gyatso moved closer to the front of the saddle, eager to speak with Tenzin.

"Father," he said as he sat behind the man. "I have a favor to ask."

"Oh?" Tenzin asked as he turned around to face his son. "What is it?"

"I would like to go ahead in order to visit Korra, if that's all right with you," he said with small smile. "I have something I wanted to give her."

"Can't it wait until after you've seen your grandmother and uncle?" Pema asked with a frown. "They're both looking forward to seeing you."

"I know, but I didn't tell Korra that we were coming," Gyatso replied. "I wanted to surprise her with that present you helped me make for her." He patted his cloak, where the object he had mentioned lay inside of his robes.

"Honey, I'm sure it can-"

"No, it's all right, Pema," Tenzin interrupted her. "Gyatso has been looking forward to this for some time, and he's been doing exceedingly well in his studies. I'd say that he's earned a favor from me."

"Well… Okay," Pema conceded, though it was clear that she still wasn't happy about the decision. "Just be careful, son."

"Yes, Mother," he bowed to her from his seated position. "I'll meet all of you for dinner, if that is agreeable?"

"That will be fine," Tenzin nodded. "Just don't be late. You'll miss your uncle's tall tales if you take too long."

"Bye!" Jinora waved her little hand at him from underneath the blankets she was using to keep warm.

"Aye," Gyatso nodded. "I'll be off, then." And with that, he grabbed his glider and leaped off the side of the saddle. He shut his eyes for a moment, simply enjoying the feeling of the fresh wind surrounding him, whistling its song as he dove at high speed towards the snow far below him.

When he deemed that he had been in free fall for long enough, he snapped his eyes open and twisted his body so that he was no longer falling in a vertical position, but in a somewhat slanted horizontal manner. Using his control over the brisk air surrounding him, he shot out of his descent with a powerful burst of wind before opening his glider to send him on a smooth gliding course right for the compound where Korra was now living.

He did this for two reasons. The first was that if he simply snapped open his glider without levelling out first, he was likely to damage it, or lose his grip on the instrument. The second reason was that he could seriously harm his body from the sudden change in direction.

He narrowed his eyes as he scanned the rapidly approaching compound to shield them from the wind. The place was built into a cliff that was part of the frozen mountain range of the Southern tundra and had three levels to it. From what the boy had learned from Korra's letters, she had been living on the second floor of the base.

Looking back, he remembered how angry Korra had been when she was forced to move into the compound so that the White Lotus could keep her under constant guard while she began her training. They said that it was a security measure against anyone that might want to harm the fledgling avatar, but that didn't make it any easier on the little girl.

Although Gyatso's winter garments were thick, he was starting to feel numb from the cold on his face and exposed hands, so the sooner he could get somewhere warm, the better it would be. Fortunately, it wasn't long before he found an open window that led into the compound directly, and he adjusted his flight path so that he would be able to fly straight in.

He grinned to himself as the narrow opening rushed up to meet him, and he closed his glider at the last possible second, just before he shot through the window and whirled his body to create a counter-current of air that slowed him enough so that he could land on the ground, roll in a summersault, then spring lightly to his feet.

"Glad I finally got the timing down on that descent," he muttered as he planted his staff firmly on the ice floor. _All things considered, that was a smooth landing._ He was about to turn around to shut the window, but then he was tackled to the ground by someone rather large.

"Who do you think you are, breaking into this compound?!" a rough-sounding voice demanded from above as the young airbender felt someone move to restrain him. "Do you have any idea how many years you could serve in prison just for being in here without permission?!"

"Thirty, if I'm not mistaken," Gyatso replied, his voice muffled by the cold ground that his face was being mashed against.

"Oh, so you're a smart-aleck, huh?" the voice growled as the grip on Gyatso's back grew tighter. "Let's see what the bosses have to say about your attitude, kid."

"I'm not generally known for being a troublemaker," Gyatso shrugged, although his movement was still somewhat impeded by the weight on his back. "I'm usually known as the son of Airbending Master Tenzin."

"Yeah, and I'm the Earth King," the man chuckled.

"Take a look at my staff if you need confirmation," the boy replied, keeping his voice calm and unprovocative. "Only airbenders carry them."

"Huh?" the man asked. Feeling a slight shift in the weight on his back, he guessed that his captor was looking over at the instrument, which Gyatso had dropped after being tackled. Then he heard the sound of his staff being opened, and he stiffened, saying, "Please be careful with that."

"Well, I'll be," the man said as he took his weight off of Gyatso. Then he felt someone helping him up by gripping under his arm and hoisting him to his feet. He turned around to see a deeply tanned man with long black hair and a well-built frame wearing a White Lotus uniform holding out his staff for him to take. "Sorry about that," he said with a grimace. "I guess I got a little carried away."

"It's perfectly all right," Gyatso said in understanding as he dusted himself off, suppressing the urge to shiver from the cold he had just been subjected to. "If anything, that's exactly the kind of reaction someone should have when the avatar's compound is invaded." The man seemed surprised to see that Gyatso bore no ill will towards him, so the boy added, "If anyone is to blame here, it's me. I have been given access to this compound at any time I choose, but I arrived here unannounced, through the window no less. Of course I would look suspicious."

"Still, I feel bad for pounding a kid," the man winced. "Are you gonna be all right?"

"I will be fine, thank you for asking," Gyatso said with a slight bow. "If you truly feel the need to repay me, please tell me how I can get to Avatar Korra's room from here."

"Sure thing, kid," the man nodded. "I'll take you myself- just let me close the window up real quick." He moved to put the window back in place, sealing it with a latch.

"Why was the window open, if you don't mind me asking?" he asked as the guard returned to stand in front of him.

"I don't like being cooped up for too long," the man answered. "Truth be told, even though I'm from the Earth Kingdom, having fresh air is worth the extra cold. I'm usually patrolling the top of the cliff, out in the open, but today I wound up getting hall duty."

"Ah," Gyatso said as they began walking down the hallway. "Do you need to get someone to cover your part of the compound, then? I can find my own way if I need to."

"No, it's all right, the shift change is about to go down anyways, so someone will be along any minute to relieve me of my post. Still, I guess we'd better hurry so I don't get busted for leaving my position."

* * *

They reached the room in less than a minute to find that it was closed. "Is she out right now?" Gyatso asked.

"I don't know kid, I just guard the place," the man shrugged. "I gotta get back to my post."

"Very well," Gyatso said as he bowed to the man. "Thank you for the escort. May I have your name before you go?"

"Name's Ghazan," the guard answered as he turned around and walked away. He waved in farewell over his shoulder as he said, "See you around, kid."

"Likewise, sir," Gyatso said before the man turned around a corner and was lost from sight. _A good guard_ , the boy thought before he turned back to face the door.

Hesitating only for a moment, he knocked sharply on the door, hoping that his friend was indeed on the other side. _I suppose if she isn't, I can wait here until she returns._

However, as if to contradict that thought, a familiar voice called from inside, "It's unlocked."

Smiling to himself with eager anticipation, the dark-haired airbender pushed on the door handle to let himself inside. He immediately noticed that it was warmer, so he closed the door behind him, not wanting to let in the cold air. His cheeks and hands immediately began to sting a little as they thawed out, though his left cheek, the one that had been pressed into the ground earlier, stung a little more so that the other.

He then noticed the young girl sitting at a desk next to her bed lit by candlelight, writing something with intense concentration. However, she did pause to say, "I'll be out in a minute, Master. I just want to finish writing this letter."

"If that letter happens to be going to Air Temple Island, I'd say that there isn't a need," Gyatso smiled broadly. "And I think I'm a little too young to be anyone's master."

Korra shot up straight in her chair and turned around to see her best friend standing next to the door, setting his staff against the wall, smiling brightly at her. "Gyatso!" she squealed, joy lighting up her face as she jumped out of her chair and ran over to hug the airbending boy. He spread his arms wide and encircled her in an embrace of his own as she laughed into his cloak. "It's so good to see you!" she smiled as she pulled back slightly.

"Surprise," he chuckled at the eight-year-old. He noticed that she was continuing to grow in height, and she looked much stronger than when he had first met her three years prior. She had definitely lost the pot belly that she'd been sporting at that time.

"I was just about to send you a letter," she grinned as she pulled out of his embrace. "But I guess I won't be needing to now."

"Oh yeah?" he asked. "What were you going to write me about?"

"I was gonna tell you that I finally started my earthbending training," Korra replied. "I wanted to start firebending, but the White Lotus says that I have to learn things in a certain order." She let a slight scowl creep into her expression at the last part.

Gyatso smiled patiently at his friend, knowing very well how she hated it when things didn't proceed how she thought they should. "They do have your best interests at heart," he said calmingly. "Besides, Earth is a strong element, just like you. I'd have thought that you would be more excited to advance your studies in that field."

"I am, but I still wanted to learn more firebending, like Firelord Zuko," Korra pouted. "Your stories about him are always fun, and I wanna be able to fight like him."

"Firelord Zuko had to go through a lot of suffering before he became the man that the others could respect, remember?" Gyatso cautioned her. "Also, don't you remember the story I told you of when my grandfather burned Gran-Gran?" Korra's eyes darted to the ground for a second, uncertainty in her expression. Seeing this, Gyatso pressed on, saying, "He too, was eager to learn firebending before he had reached the right stage in his training. If Gran-Gran wasn't a healer, she might have been scarred for life."

"Okay, I guess you're right," Korra sighed heavily. "It's still frustrating."

"I know," Gyatso said sympathetically.

"No you don't," Korra frowned. "You've been able to learn anything that you want about airbending, right? You don't have people telling you what you can and can't learn all the time."

Gyatso winced at the barbed comment, but he decided not to take offense. He knew that Korra did have it a lot harder than he did, with so many more expectations riding on her young shoulders than on his own. So instead of pursuing a fight, he said, "I know it's frustrating, Korra. But believe it or not, I don't just get to learn whatever I want, whenever I want."

"You don't?" Korra cocked her head. "Then how come every time I see you, you've done nothing but advance in your studies, and you seem so excited about it?"

"I'm excited to make progress at all," Gyatso said with a wry smile. "I suppose I haven't told you this before, but airbending is something that not every air nomad mastered. There are twenty-six forms, and each one is harder to master than the last one. In order to earn mastery arrows, one had to master the first twenty forms. Most of the monks only ever mastered ten or so."

"Really?" Korra asked, slightly wide-eyed. "That sounds hard."

"It is," Gyatso nodded gravely. "But I want to embrace every part of my culture possible, which is why I always commit myself fully to each lesson that I must learn. Sometimes they get frustrating, but anytime I feel like giving up, I remember that there are very few people in the world with the gifts that I have, so I need to count them as blessings and not annoyances."

Korra blinked her bright blue eyes at him before she said, "You know how to make anything sound good, don't you?"

"Only if I'm fond of it," he smiled. "In all seriousness, I hope that you grow to like your pursuit of earthbending mastery."

"Me too," Korra grinned a bit sheepishly. "Or else I'm gonna end up getting carried away one of these days and whack my teacher."

"I should hope not," Gyatso rolled his eyes. "The White Lotus goes out of its way to find the most capable masters in order to train you. It would be a waste if one of them happened to quit."

"Yeah, but they're all so boring," Korra sighed. "Except Master Katara. She was fun to train with."

"Did she show you how to heal like she does?" Gyatso asked.

"Yup, wanna see?" Korra asked as she moved to grab a cup that apparently had water in it.

"Doesn't someone have to be injured for you to heal them?" Gyatso asked. Then a thought struck him, and he took a step away from her as he said, "Before you even think about it, the answer is no- I am not going to be your punching bag."

"Hey, I wasn't going to hurt you," Korra frowned as she used her waterbending to coat her right hand in a liquid glove. "Your face just looks like you scraped it a little. What did you do, crash on your glider?"

"I resent that," Gyatso muttered as he reached up to touch his face as he realized that it was still stinging pretty badly. "I haven't crashed my glider since last year."

"Take your hand down so I can do this," Korra ordered him. He complied, lowering his hand while she cupped his cheek with the hand that was coated in water. Out of the corner of his eye, Gyatso noticed the water glowing with a soft light right before he felt his pain begin to drain out of his face.

"Wow," he said, impressed with her talent.

"Don't talk, it's harder to heal the area when you're moving it," she said, her brow furrowed in concentration. Again, he complied, remaining silent until she pulled her hand away and put the water back. "Okay, I'm done," she said. "How does it feel?"

"Like it never happened," Gyatso replied. "That was very impressive, Korra. Most waterbenders can't do that even after years and years of practice.

"Thanks," she said appreciatively. "That does mean a lot, hearing you say that."

"I'm glad to know that my friend values my opinion so much," he replied. Then he suddenly remembered one of the main reasons why he had come to see Korra early, and he exclaimed, "That's right! I nearly forgot."

"Forgot what?" Korra cocked her head at him again.

"Your birthday was a few days ago, right?" Gyatso asked.

"Yeah, it was last week," Korra nodded. "Why?"

"I wanted to give you this," Gyatso said as he reached into his cloak and pulled out an object that made Korra's eyes widen in surprise. It was a doll that resembled Korra, hand-made by Pema upon Gyatso's request. "I still have the doll that you gave me," Gyatso said as he held it out for her to take. "I know it's a few years late, but I wanted to return the favor."

"Wow…" Korra said as she reached out to take the toy from him. "Where did you get this?"

"Mother made it," Gyatso answered as she stroked the soft doll. "I asked her to once I had saved enough money to buy all the materials for it." He smiled brightly at her again and said, "Happy Birthday, Korra."

"Thanks, Gyatso," Korra said as she hugged him again. "This is really nice of you." And she moved to put it on her desk, next to her writing utensils. Turning back to him with a smile of her own, she said, "I guess we have a matching set now, huh?"

"That was kind of the idea, yes," the boy replied with another smile. "I'm glad you like it so much."

"I'll have to thank your mom, too," she said as an afterthought. "Is your dad here so I can give her a message?"

"Actually, everyone came this time," Gyatso said. "We're supposed to have dinner with them this afternoon. They're visiting Gran-Gran right now."

"Ooh, does that mean that Jinora is here?" Korra asked excitedly. She had yet to actually meet the little girl, since Katara had gone to Republic City to see her granddaughter, and not the other way around, thus denying Korra the chance to meet her.

"Yes…" Gyatso sighed, exasperated. "I don't see why Father insisted on her coming along, especially since she's barely three years old."

"Hey, at least you have a sister," Korra frowned. "I don't have anyone except for Mom and Dad."

"Maybe we can trade Jinora for you," Gyatso joked. Silently, he added, _Although I don't know that it would be any more peaceful at home_.

"That's mean," Korra said as she swatted his arm, causing him to yelp with surprise and rub the struck limb. "I should tell your mom."

"I'll tell Gran-Gran who really put the sea cucumbers in Father's soup last time we were here," Gyatso replied quickly.

"Okay, never mind," Korra said, paling slightly. Both of the young benders remembered how upset Tenzin had been when his five-flavored soup had been 'infested' with his mother's favorite vegetable. The elderly lady had passed it off as an error on her part, but the look that she had thrown the kids made them aware that she knew that they were somehow involved.

"So… what should we do while we wait for them to get here?" Korra asked.

"Hmm…" Gyatso mused as he picked up his staff. "How about we show each other what we've learned lately? I'd like to see your waterbending again, and whatever earthbending you've learned."

"Okay, that sounds good," Korra nodded eagerly. "I thought my earthbending master would be here by now, but I guess he's not coming."

"Let's at least leave a note for him in case he comes by so that he doesn't put the whole compound on high alert when he finds you missing without an explanation," Gyatso suggested.

"Do I have to?" Korra frowned.

"I was already tackled by one earthbender today, and I don't want it to happen again," Gyatso said flatly.

"Is that how you got hurt?" Korra asked as she bent over her desk, writing a quick note.

"He got me by surprise," the airbender shrugged.

* * *

The two youngsters spent the full afternoon together in the open field of ice that served as one of Korra's training areas. Most of this time was used to demonstrate the new bending techniques that they were learning, though every now and again, Korra would use her miniscule firebending talents to help keep Gyatso warm in the frigid air.

"I don't get it," she said during one of these breaks. "I thought you were one-quarter water tribe. Why are you having such a hard time in this weather? It's not even that late into the winter!"

"B-Because the half of me th-that is earth k-kingdom w-wasn't bred for c-cold like this," Gyatso shivered as he held his hands over the fire Korra was generating in her hands.

"Oh yeah," Korra realized aloud. "You're part water tribe, part earth kingdom, and part air nomad. The only thing you're missing is fire nation."

"Yeah, w-well…" Gyatso smiled a bit, despite the fresh gust of wind that made it feel like his body was freezing from the inside of his bones. "Maybe I should marry a fire nation girl. Then my kids c-could be any kind of b-bender."

"Ew, you already want to get married?" Korra said as she made a face.

"Not r-right now, obviously," Gyatso rolled his eyes as he continued to shake from the cold. "I need to be older b-before I can get married."

"Why would you want to get married though?" Korra asked. "I don't think I'd like if I had to share everything with someone all the time."

"Well, if you love that person, maybe it won't feel like sharing," Gyatso shrugged, his shivers beginning to ease from the warmth of the fire. "Mother and Father always seem to be happy to share what they have with one another. Don't your parents seem the same?"

"I dunno," Korra shrugged. "I don't get to see them every day like you do, so I can't really tell. All I know is what they tell me, and I just don't get it."

"Oh, right," Gyatso winced. "Sorry, that was a careless thought from me."

"No, it's okay," Korra shook her head. "I'm glad that you get to have a nice family, Gyatso. And I'm glad for the time that I get with my parents, too. But…"

Gyatso noticed that as her face fell, the power of her flames died down as well. He put a hand on her shoulder and said in as comforting of a tone as he could manage, "Being the avatar isn't everything you imagined it would be like, is it?"

"No," she admitted glumly. "I mean, having the power is awesome, and learning how to master it is great, even if my teachers are all boring, but sometimes I just want to be with my mom and dad." The fire in her cupped hands fizzled and went out.

"Korra, let me ask you something," Gyatso said firmly, prompting her to look him in the eye. Once she had, he asked, "Do you _not_ want to be the avatar?"

"No," she shook her head immediately. "I've always wanted to be the Avatar, especially ever since you told me the stories about Aang. Someday, I want to be as strong and admired as he was."

"Then focus on that," Gyatso told her. "I know it's hard to make sacrifices, but as the avatar, someday you'll end up making decisions where you'll have to ask yourself if sacrificing one thing, or even several, is important enough to hold you back from taking action. It will be hard, but so long as you follow the example of those that have come before you, you _will_ become an Avatar worthy of my grandfather's legacy."

Korra held his gaze for a moment before she asked, "Do you believe that I can do that?"

"As long as you don't break one of your mentors," he smiled. When she scowled at him, he sobered his expression and said, "But in all honesty, yes. I believe in you…" He allowed another small smile to work its way across his face as he added, "Avatar Korra."

* * *

The pair of children made their way to the dining area as soon as the sun began to descend below the horizon. They expected to see everyone as soon as they walked in, but instead were greeted by a single, surprise guest.

"Good evening, young Avatar," Zuko smiled down at the two children. "And to you as well, Gyatso."

"Firelord Zuko!" Gyatso exclaimed with wide eyes. Remembering his manners in spite of his initial shock, he bowed deeply from the waist to the elderly man. Seeing the action, Korra copied his bow, though a little less fluidly than her friend. "I had no idea that you would be visiting here," he added as he straightened himself.

"Hah hah, this is an informal visit, my young friend," the firebender replied as the two children straightened themselves. "And it's just Lord Zuko now." The change in his title took a moment for Gyatso to understand what had happened.

"You've abdicated from the throne, then?" Gyatso asked. When the former Firelord nodded his wizened head, he added, "A first in your nation's history, if I'm not mistaken."

"I see that you've been keeping up with your studies," Zuko's eyes twinkled as he smiled a bit wider at the grandson of his closest friend. "But yes, I have decided to leave my nation in the hands of my daughter, Izumi."

"So what will you do now, sir?" Korra asked the elderly firebender.

"I'm not entirely certain, but my sister Kiyi has asked me to come live with her in the village where my mother grew up," Zuko replied as he took his seat at the table in the dining hall. "I may decide to settle there for a little while."

"You won't stay in the capital, sir?" Gyatso prodded.

"No, it would undermine Izumi, me being there while she comes into her own as the Firelord," Zuko shook his head. "For now, I'm going to take it easy and take some time to reconnect with old friends."

"Is that why you came here?" Gyatso guessed. "To see Gran-Gran and Uncle Sokka?"

"Yes, but I was delighted to learn that your family was here as well," Zuko smiled fondly at the young man again. "This is turning out to be a good trip already."

"I wish I could travel like you guys," Korra pouted. "I never get to go anywhere."

"Someday, you'll get to travel the world to your heart's content, saving people and seeing new places like Aang and the others did," the former Firelord chuckled.

"Weren't you a part of that team?" Korra cocked her head. "Gyatso's told me a lot of stories about how you and Aang saved people everywhere."

"True, but your chief and his sister did it for much longer than I did," Zuko replied. "I didn't join 'Team Avatar' until it was nearly too late."

"Team Avatar?" Korra repeated.

"That's what Uncle Sokka called their group," Gyatso reminded her.

"Someone call my name?" a new voice said, accompanied by the sound of a door opening. Into the room stepped a man with white hair peppered with some remnants of brown that was tied back neatly in a warrior's wolf-tail. On his back was a boomerang, at his waist was a straight sword. His pale blue eyes were alight with laughter, fun, and energy that belied his age of seventy-nine.

"Chief Sokka," Korra said as she bowed to the old man respectfully.

"Uncle!" Gyatso smiled, formalities cast aside as he moved to hug his great-uncle. Despite the fact that the young airbender was mostly a calm, reserved individual, Sokka had a way of bringing out Aang's wild streak from of the boy. In fact, it had been his idea to put sea cucumbers in Tenzin's soup during their last visit- he had simply managed to convince Gyatso and Korra to play their parts in the endeavor.

As Korra's parents and the others of Sokka and Gyatso's family began to move in behind the southern chief, the eldest son of Tenzin smiled to himself. He might not have liked most social gatherings, but there was something to be said for being together with family every now and again.

* * *

The meal went on for some time, but the children hardly noticed the passing of the hours. They were too busy being entertained by the stories told by Sokka and Katara, with Zuko adding his own voice every now and again. Some they had heard before, but a new tale shared that night was that of Aang's misadventure in Ba Sing Se, where he tried his hand at zoo keeping. Despite the fact that the story was tinged by the sadness of Aang's death, the story sent more than one round of laughs across the dinner table.

However, as the moon began to reach its peak vantage point in the sky, it was clear that the younger attendants were becoming weary, especially Jinora, who was positively nodding off in her chair.

Seeing this, Tenzin decided that it would be best to resume the reunion in the morning. Scooping Jinora up in his arms, he bade his uncle and mother a good night and urged his family to head to their rooms as well.

Gyatso obeyed immediately without complaint, though secretly he wanted nothing more than to keep talking to his uncle and Korra. Nonetheless, he gently shook Korra's shoulder to wake her up before telling her that they were heading to bed.

"Okay…" she mumbled sleepily, standing up without opening her eyes all the way. "Can I just sleep here…?"

"I don't think sleeping in a chair is good for you back," Gyatso advised her patiently. "Come on- I'll help you up to our room."

"Okay…" the little girl repeated thickly. She got to her feet, leaning on her friend for support as they started to walk outside.

 _Once that cold hits us, waking up won't be a problem,_ Gyatso grimaced as he remembered the freezing temperatures of the South Pole.

Sure enough, as soon as they got outside, the cold struck them like a fist, jolting the children to full alertness. Even Korra shivered hard in the cold night air, so Gyatso pulled her closer to him, trying give her what little warmth he could offer. Korra saw the effort he was putting in to shield her from the elements despite his own discomfort, so she lit up a small flame to try and give off some extra heat.

Sokka saw this and smiled at him, glad to see that his nephew was continuing to grow into a fine young man. _He's got a lot of his grandfather in him,_ he thought as he moved closer to the pair as they trudged through the snow in the direction of the compound's living area, where they would be spending the night.

"Nothing like a stroll in some fresh air, eh Gyatso?" he teased the boy.

"I d-don't r-remember it b-being this c-cold," the young airbender said through his chattering teeth.

"Well, we were expecting a storm, but it looks like it got here early," Sokka shrugged as a new blast of air swept through the open courtyard. "I guess it is a little cold."

"A l-little?" Gyatso said in disbelief.

Before Sokka could deliver a smart comeback, the ground in front of them began to roil, shifting and churning violently. The family immediately stopped walking forward and backed up a few paces, eyes wide, their fatigue forgotten.

In front of their very eyes, the ground burst into a pool of lava that radiated intense heat that sharply contrasted with the numbing cold of the South Pole. Steam billowed from the magma, obscuring their vision for a few moments.

"Sokka, what's going on?!" Zuko shouted above the wind, which still had not ceased.

"I was about to ask you the same thing!" Sokka shouted back as he furrowed his brow, his eyes scanning the evening surroundings as he sought the source of this bizarre phenomena. Drawing his black-bladed sword, he shouted into the night, "Intruder, identify yourself!"

It took a moment, but a few silhouettes appeared against the backdrop of the wintery tundra, their forms shadowed by the light casted off by the lava. There were three that they could see, one of them an immensely tall woman, another a broad-shouldered man, and the last being a slouched woman of middling height.

"We are the Red Lotus," the man said, speaking clearly and calmly, as though talking to strangers across a burning lava pit was an everyday occurrence for him. "My name is Zaheer, and we mean harm to none of you."

"Then why the theatrics?" Zuko challenged, his golden eyes hard.

"A precautionary measure," the other man replied evenly. "We mean you no harm, but we do expect that you yourselves will mean us plenty."

"Just being here without permission is a serious offense," Tonraq glowered. "Showing open hostility has only made things worse for you."

"As I said before, we mean none of you harm," the intruder said, unfazed by the threat. "We have, however, come to take the Avatar, regardless of your wishes. Hand her over, and we leave peacefully."

"And when we don't?!" Tonraq shouted, gathering water to his hands to form ice blades.

"Then we'll make you," Zaheer shrugged.

"Sorry, I couldn't _Zaheer_ that," Sokka smiled coldly, his arm going behind his back. "Care to repeat it?"

"No," the other man said flatly, unamused. "We attempted to be civil. Now we will use force to do what we must." The lava began to churn, bubbling and hissing as it started to rise like a column of dripping liquid fire.

Gyatso shoved Korra away from himself before whipping his staff in a horizontal swipe, sending forth a violent gale that slammed into the lava, scattering it back at the three intruders, and forcing all of them to dodge the deadly heat. The pool of lava seemed to lose its vitality, dying down to embers as the boy glared at the intruders.

Tenzin looked at his son in shock to see that his young features were distorted by rage. "You'll have to get through me before you touch her!" he shouted, setting into a low forward stance. "None of you are going to get close enough to hurt my friend!"

"Gyatso!" Pema shouted, her eyes wide with concern. "Get away from them- your father and the others can handle this!"

"She's right, kiddo," Sokka said as he kept a close eye on the people calling themselves the Red Lotus. "Zuko, Katara, and I have dealt with people a lot worse than these clowns."

"Come, child," Katara said urgently as she began leading Pema and the children back into the compound's dining hall. "Everything will be all right."

"Your mother and I are in agreement, Gyatso," Tenzin said as he took a fighting stance of his own. "Go inside, where it's safe."

"They won't be able to hide from us," Zaheer interjected. "We _will_ do what we came here to do."

Seeing that his son had not yet moved from where he stood, Tenzin frowned and said, "Gyatso, go!"

Gyatso tightened his grip on his staff before saying, "No."

 _No?!_ Tenzin repeated in his head. "No?!" he shouted out loud. "What do you mean, 'no?!" In all his life, Gyatso had never outright defied his father like this, not even once. It checked the master airbender like a physical blow.

"I said…" Gyatso growled, taking a sweeping step forward before whirling his staff to lash out with another wind blast at the Red Lotus, who were forced even further back in order to evade the attack. " _No_!"

"Looks like someone just hit his rebellious age," Sokka joked weakly, but even he was in shock.

"Gyatso, you have sworn a vow of non-aggression!" Tenzin tried to remind him as the air began to swirl around the boy, kicking up snow and obscuring him from view. "You cannot attack them like this! All that aside, I am your father, and I am telling you to _get inside!_ "

"Grandfather was only two years older than I am now when he set out to save the world!" Gyatso shot back, the others barely able to hear him over the swirling winds. "If I'm going to be like him in any way, I have to fight for my friends and family!" The condensed wind shot forward like a cannonball, blasting a snowdrift to powder.

"You're real brave kid, but you've got a lot to learn!" a dry, female voice said as the snow around him transformed into water tentacles. "Starting with respect for your elders!"

Gyatso spun himself in rapid circles, forming a small tornado around him that elevated his body above the appendages before they could attack, and shredding them as they came close. Spotting one of the people as they came close, the boy slashed at them with another wind burst.

As he did, Tenzin turned to his wife and shouted, "Get the kids inside, and stay with Mother until I come to get you!"

"But-!"

"I'll keep Gyatso safe, don't worry!" Tenzin interrupted his wife. "Just go!" Turning back to the battle at hand, Tenzin fashioned an air scooter- a condensed sphere of air that an airbender could sit on in order to accelerate to incredible speeds- and shot into the fray.

"Go get your son, we'll hold them off!" Zuko grunted as he blasted the tallest member of the intruders with his firebending. To his surprise, she simply batted the flames away before staring at him with a level of concentration that was both disturbing and familiar somehow.

"Get down!" Sokka roared as he tacked his old friend to the side behind a large mound of snow, just before a concussion blast caused an explosion where he had been standing. "That crazy woman is a combustion-bender!"

Combustion benders were a select breed of firebenders that were capable of using their bending using only their minds, focusing their power through a tattooed third eye on their foreheads. What was more, they could set off an explosion on any target instantly, so long as they had a clear line of sight. This made them the perfect assassins, and many unexplained deaths in the Fire Nation- and elsewhere in the world- could likely have been explained by one such firebender.

"Fantastic," Zuko grunted as he and Sokka got to their feet. "Just what we needed."

"No, but I have just what she needs," the water tribe man grinned as he held up his boomerang. "Ready?"

"Why do I always have to be the one that makes the distraction?" Zuko complained, though he got ready to move on Sokka's mark.

"Hey, I'm the idea guy, you're the fire-and-fancy-swords guy," Sokka chuckled. He waited until he saw the woman moving to take a shot at Tenzin before he clenched his fist in a silent 'go' signal.

Zuko leaped atop the snow, his pointer and middle fingers already crackling with static. Extending them to point at the woman, he felt his chi separating and merging in his body, building in power until he was in the right position, and the lightning shot forth, right at the back of the woman, who was still focused on the master airbender.

"P'Li!" Zaheer shouted from the shadows even as Gyatso rushed at him.

The woman dodged just in the nick of time. She whirled around, anger etched into her brow as she glared at the former Firelord with blazing amber eyes. She inhaled deeply as her eyes widened, a sure sign that she was about to blow him to pieces.

 _Whang!_ Sokka's boomerang sliced through the air to strike her directly in the middle of her third eye, stunning her and rendering her powers useless for the time being.

Sokka stepped out from behind the snow bank with a confident smile as the faithful weapon returned to his hand. Zuko frowned at him as he bound the woman's wrists and hands with some thick ropes while muttering, "You cut that a little close."

"Hey, we're getting gray, my friend," Sokka chuckled. "We don't get to have fun like this very often anymore- gotta make the most of it."

"Well, if it's so much fun, maybe we should help Tenzin," Zuko replied gravely as he pointed at the other man, who was presently getting pummeled with water whips.

"I'm too old for this," Sokka groaned as they jogged over to help his nephew.

* * *

Gyatso whacked his opponent, the one calling himself Zaheer, with his staff, knocking him back a few paces with a solid blow to the ribs. He waited patiently for the older man to recover, not wanting to waste his own energy in pressing the attack unless his opponent decided to try and run.

But something told the boy that neither one of them was going to back down from this fight. _Why do they want Korra?_ He wondered.

Their fight had taken them over to the base of the cliffs where the compound was built into, though the boy had managed to keep his agile foe from getting any closer to the entrance of the dining hall. The bald man was surprisingly nimble, having dodged most of Gyatso's attacks, both physical and aerokinetic.

"You fight well, young man," Zaheer said, gazing at the child with dark eyes. "You're a fine airbender, and I believe that you will go far in your path." Strangely enough, to Gyatso it sounded like the man was being honest.

"Why are you here?" Gyatso demanded, not interested in flattery, be it sincere or not.

"We need the Avatar," Zaheer replied. "We'll keep her alive and unharmed, if that's any comfort to you. I meant what I said- none of us are going to hurt her."

"I have no reason to believe you," Gyatso countered. "If you really didn't want to hurt her, why would you try to take her from this place, where she's safe?"

"Because she's not safe here," Zaheer answered. "The real threat are the people that call themselves her teachers, muddling her journey as the avatar with shallow, worldly concerns."

"These are the people that my grandfather entrusted her to," Gyatso shot back. "I think that he would know best who should train the avatar."

"Avatar Aang was a great man, but by no means was he a model avatar," Zaheer shook his head. "The Red Lotus has found the true path of the avatar, and we will enlighten her accordingly."

Gyatso held back his temper with a great deal of effort. "You have no right to question my grandfather's legacy," he said as he planted his staff firmly in the ground. "As a demonstration of my faith in him and his beliefs, I offer you a chance to leave. Escape while you can, and I will not pursue you."

"What?" Zaheer asked, completely caught off-guard by the offer.

"You heard me," Gyatso said, shaking with the effort it was taking not lash out at the man. "Aang… believed in second chances for everyone, even Firelord Ozai. I… have to… extend you the same mercy." The words tasted bitter in his mouth, but he knew that if he wanted to be like his grandfather, he had to swallow his pride.

"Just a minute ago, you were ready to fight me to the bitter end," Zaheer frowned. "What changed?"

"My grandfather fought many people many times in his life," Gyatso replied. "But he always offered second chances. My family will defeat your friends, I have no doubt. So this is my offer of mercy- go while you still can."

"A very noble gesture," Zaheer smiled kindly. "But I'm afraid I have to decl-" His words were cut off as Gyatso swung his staff with one arm, smacking him with a gust of wind that pounded him into the cliff side, followed by another current that mashed him into the frozen ground, and rendering him unconscious.

"I tried," the boy said heavily as he gazed at the downed intruder.

"Son!" Tenzin's voice surprised Gyatso, who started to look for the direction that it had come from, even as the other airbender shouted, "Duck!"

 _Duck?_ He thought just before he felt something crash into his head. A blinding pain stabbed into his skull and the world went dark.

* * *

He awoke- as he would later find out- two days after the battle with the Red Lotus. His senses came back to him slowly, first his hearing, followed by sensation that allowed him to feel his throbbing headache and the cold air around him. Next came his sight, giving him the ability to see a white ceiling illuminated by moonlight from a window, then his senses of taste and smell, the latter of which alerted him to the scent of dried blood.

Blinking his eyes painfully, he forced himself to sit up with an audible grunt of effort.

"Take it easy, Gyatso," an elderly, kind voice said from his left.

Turning to look at the speaker, he was not entirely surprised to see his grandmother sitting in a chair beside him, a look of concern on her wrinkled face. Her blue eyes were shadowed as she frowned at him, saying, "You should stay down for at least another day. You took a pretty bad hit."

"What happened?" Gyatso forced the words out through the pain in his head.

"Lie down, and we'll talk," Katara told him.

Nodding quietly, the boy eased himself back down onto the bed, careful not to slam his head on the pillows as he usually did when he jumped into bed. "Okay," he said once he was as comfortable as he could get. "What happened, Gran-Gran?"

"What do you remember?" the old woman asked.

"Hmm…" Gyatso muttered, trying to recall the events leading up to his unconscious state. The memories were hazy, and the blow to his head seemed to have scrambled them out of order. "I think… We were having dinner…?" He paused to look a question at his grandmother.

When she nodded the affirmative, he continued on to say, "Then… we started fighting those people. Er, no…" He scowled, the pain intensifying.

"Don't push yourself," Katara advised.

However, Gyatso simply waited for the pain to reduce before he pressed on, saying, "No… We were walking to our rooms… I was with Korra and the others… Then there was the lava… _Then_ those people showed up. And… I attacked them?" He seemed uncertain at the end.

Seeing this, Katara told him, "They were the aggressors, but you did try to fight them, yes. You managed to stun their leader, the one calling himself Zaheer."

Gyatso nodded slowly- that sounded right. However… "Everything else is a blur," he muttered. "The last thing I remember is fighting the bald man. After that, nothing." He looked over directly at his grandmother as he asked, "Is Korra safe? I remember that they were trying to kidnap her."

"She's safe and sound, resting in the next room," Katara said with a wan smile. "They came very close to getting ahold of her, but Sokka and Tonraq managed to disable them before they could get away with her."

"Was she hurt?" Gyatso asked, concerned.

"She was knocked unconscious by an earthbender named Ghazan that had been posing as a White Lotus sentinel," Katara replied. "The same one that hurt you."

"So, a rock did this to me?" Gyatso inquired as he reached up and felt the bandages around his head, his fingers coming into contact with what felt like linen that had a dried liquid in it. As he took his fingers down, he realized that the substance was likely his own blood.

"Yes," Katara nodded, her face hardening a bit. "That monster didn't even hesitate to strike you, a child. What's worse, he…" She stopped talking and looked away. The manner in which she did so gave Gyatso a sinking feeling.

"Gran-Gran?" he asked. "What did he do?"

"Never mind, we don't have to talk about this," Katara tried to wave the manner aside.

But he son of Tenzin was not so easily dissuaded. "Grandmother," he said, the formal title indicating the extent of his determination to pursue the subject. "What did the earthbender do?"

"He…" Katara turned back to him, shocking the boy with the sight of tears of sorrow running down her face. "Sokka…"

Gyatso suddenly felt a chill colder than any ice could ever hope to create. "No…" he whispered. "Where is Uncle Sokka?"

Katara did not answer him straight away. Instead, she looked up at the full moon, which seemed to be shining dimmer than usual, despite the lack of any clouds in the air. And when she did answer, it was in little more than a whisper. "Sokka… is with Yue now." Turning back to her eldest grandchild, who had turned as white as a polar bear-dog, she said, "He did say to tell you… that he had never seen a braver child. That you do your family proud."

"But…" Gyatso said, eyes wide as his gaze drifted to the moon. "If I started the fight… then…" He couldn't finish.

"No, Gyatso, don't think like that," Katara tried to tell him. "This wasn't your fault, it was-"

"Gran-Gran," he said, his voice breaking. "I disobeyed Father… And now Uncle Sokka is dead. If I… I couldn't…" Again, words began to fail him, and he found it difficult to even swallow. Tears pooled in his eyes briefly before leaking out the sides of his closed lids, bitter and hot.

"I got my Uncle Sokka killed."

* * *

 **Aang: Monkeyfeathers, that was a dark ending!**

 **Mataras: That's kind of my specialty. No worries, though. It'll get better by next chapter.**

 **Roku: At what time may we expect the next installment in this epic of yours?**

 **Mataras: Should be ready by about the beginning of February.**

 **Aang: Double monkeyfeathers! We have to wait that long?!**

 **Mataras: Hey, work like this takes time to produce, especially when it's a collaborated effort between three people with very different schedules.**

 **Yangchen: All things must proceed in their own time, young one. Let us not rush the Red Swordsman.**

 **Aang: Hey, I'm hardly the young avatar anymore. Think we can stop with calling me the young one? That's Korra now.**

 **Roku: Oh no, my young friend. That doesn't stop until you've successfully mentored your heir. Just think- I had to deal with Kyoshi for one hundred years while you were in that iceberg.**

 **Aang: Tri-**

 **Mataras: Do _not_ say monkey-feathers again.**

 **Aang: ...**

 **Mataras: Thought so. In any case, to my readers, I say once more- welcome to my latest work. I hope that you enjoyed it, and furthermore that you decide to check out my other works on this website. I bid you all a good 2017.**

* * *

Legacy of Korra- As told by JoshthePoser

Gyatso was hurtling towards the window of the compound at top speed, eyes narrowed in concentration. _Just like ski ball,_ he told himself. _Just like ski ball,_ _Just like ski ball,_ _Just like ski ball,_ _Just like ski ball..._

 _CRASH!_

He smashed through the window, sending glass everywhere down the hallway, narrowly avoiding cutting himself up in the process. As he got up and dusted himself off, he exclaimed, "Wow! Windex really does work!" He'd had no idea that the window was even closed.

"Hey kid, you can't skate here!" the voice of a cliche nineteen-forties police officer echoed from down the hall.

"You can't tell me what to do!" Gyatso shot back at the rapidly approaching guard.

"You can't reference outdated internet jokes!" Ghazan argued as he came to a stop.

"I am a Stegosaurus!" the boy said.

"Why are you here?!" Ghazan demanded.

"I'm here to see my friend."

"Weebs don't have friends, you otaku trash with your airbender cosplay!"

"Yes I do!" Gyatso told him. "She's my friend- we're pen pals!"

"There are no girls on the internet."

"Yes there are, we've be talking for three years," Gyatso said stubbornly. "She's my girlfriend- she lives in Canada!"

"Then... why are you in the Southern Water Tribe?" Ghazan inquired.

"The Southern Water Tribe is Canada," Gyatso said mildly.

"That makes a lot of sense."

"Yeah, so my friend's the Avatar," the airbending child said.

"The Avatar, master of all four elements. But when the world needed him most, he vani-"

"Stop it, we already did the monologue." Gyatso cut off Ghazan.

"A hundred years passed and my brother and I disc-"

"Stop."

"The new Avatar, an airbender named Aa-"

"Stop it."

"And although his airbending skills are-"

"I said stop it."

"-he has a lot to learn before he's-"

"Quit it."

"ready to save any-"

"I think we get it."

"But I believe-"

"Please, stop."

"Aang can save the world."

Gyatso waited for a few silent moments before he asked, "Are you done? You have it out of your system? You good?"

Ghazan said nothing in response.

Gystao sighed heavily and said, "Okay, where were we?"

"Water."

"AAHHHHHHH!"

* * *

 **Now presenting parodied segments for your entertainment, courtesy of JoshthePoser.**


	2. A Master and Heir

**A/N: Hello again from Mataras, JoshthePoser, and Matarasisbae!**

 **We're glad to see the positive feedback we have thus far received, as well as the numerous private messages we've gotten to look at regarding this story and its future. Things are looking good for the story, though the last time we saw Gyatso, things looked pretty bleak.**

 **Let's see if things turn around for him, eh?**

 **P.S. If you haven't already, please check out the bottom of the first chapter, past the omake with the previous avatars. JoshthePoser (for that chapter, and every chapter from now on) has prepared an abridged/parodied version of the chapter for your enjoyment. Read the last one after this chapter, or before, either way, we hope you enjoy them!**

* * *

 _Although the darkness  
_ _Envelops and corrupts  
The little lights grow_

* * *

A Master and Heir

A week passed before Tenzin's family left the South. This was for three primary reasons, the first being that Gyatso was not well enough to handle high altitudes. Secondly, Sokka's funeral was held during this time, and Tenzin felt it was important that the family attend the procession.

The event was attended by the entire Southern Water Tribe, and there was hardly a dry eye in the gathering. Sokka had been a beloved leader for more than two decades, and a local hero for much longer. He was buried beside his own father, Hakota, along with the other veterans of the hundred-year-war, as was his wish. He would be the last person buried in that ice catacomb, as it had been set aside specifically for warriors of that era.

The final occurrence that delayed the family's return to Air Temple Island was the arrival of Ikki- Tenzin and Pema's third child, and their second daughter. For many in the family, her arrival was a good omen to contrast the terrible loss that they had just endured.

But Gyatso found himself uncertain of how to feel while everyone around him celebrated the arrival of his new sister. His uncle was dead due to his actions, Korra was still unconscious from the Red Lotus' attempt to kidnap her, and he had come very close to crossing a line in his life as an Air Nomad. This had essentially rendered him speechless since his conversation with Katara.

He spoke no words to no one, and he scarcely ate or slept. Food seemed to have lost all of its taste, and it turned bitter in his stomach. Sleep was no better, for nightmares of the Red Lotus haunted him every time he closed his eyes to rest, often rendering him more tired when he awoke than when he went to sleep.

Tenzin had initially been disappointed in his son's actions on the night of the attack, but he and Pema were beginning to worry that this event was going to permanently damage his psyche. The boy was becoming a shell of his former self, and no matter what they tried to do to get him to brighten up, he remained a dull-eyed ragdoll.

* * *

The day finally came when Katara deemed Gyatso and the new baby- who was turning out to be exponentially louder than her elder siblings- ready for travel on a sky bison.

As the family was finishing gathering their belongings, Tenzin took his eldest child to see Korra one more time, even though she still had yet to awaken. The master Airbender excused the two White Lotus guards before stepping into the infirmary. He let Gyatso take a seat before patting him on the shoulder and saying, "I'll come and get you when we're ready to leave."

The boy nodded his acknowledgement, and Tenzin left the room, leaving the boy alone with his unconscious friend in total silence.

For some time, he did nothing but stare blankly at the girl as she slept, her breathing deep and even, indicating that she was experiencing true rest that shielded her from the pain her body must be in.

Seeing the bandages wrapped around her arm and head made his heart ache, and he found himself fighting back tears as he saw what his actions had wrought. _I'm so sorry,_ he thought as he reached out and gripped her hand with both of his. _No real friend would have put you in danger like I did… Had I not provoked violence, this could have all been avoided…_

He felt tears sliding down his face again as he shifted his blurry gaze to Korra's face, but he didn't bother to wipe them. They were his reminders of what pride and anger could do to people.

Motion, sensation.

His eyes blinked away tears and shot over to look back at their interlocked hands, which lay, unmoving.

That is, until Korra's smaller hand squeezed his, sending a warmth that was not entirely physical through him. His eyes widened as she did it again, then a fourth time, before maintaining a strong, steady grasp. She let out a soft groan of pain as she gritted her teeth, so he moved to place one of his hands on her head to try and soothe the pain.

Her eyelids crept open slowly to reveal her sky blue orbs, which wandered around aimlessly until they landed on Gyatso's face. Her lips curved into a smile as she saw him, and she croaked out, "H… Hi." Her voice was dry from not using it in a week, but at least she could talk, he thought.

"Hi," he replied quietly, a slight ache in his throat from not having spoken all week himself.

"What happened?" Korra asked after she swallowed a couple of times.

"You were hurt," Gyatso replied somberly. "Don't you remember?"

"Nu-uh," Korra shook her head slowly. "I remember… You gave me my birthday present. Everything else is kinda fuzzy."

"Maybe that's for the best," Gyatso said, his face falling.

"Why, what happened?" Korra prompted.

"I don't want to talk about it," he said softly.

"Why not?" she asked.

"Because… I did something wrong," he replied, fighting to talk past the lump in his throat. "Some bad people came to take you from us… You got hurt… And other bad things happened… I failed you."

"Hey, I'm alive, right?" Korra told him with as strong a tone as she could muster. "And the bad guys didn't get me, see?"

"Yes," he said in a very small voice.

"Then you didn't fail me, whatever that means," the young avatar told her friend. "I'll be okay, I promise."

"But you're injured-"

"So?" Korra interrupted him. "You told me about how Aang got hit by lightning and lived. It doesn't feel like I was hit by lightning, so I think I'll be okay."

"But…" He paused mid-sentence, on the verge of telling her about Sokka, but he decided against it. _She's barely recovering, she shouldn't have to know about that yet,_ he thought.

"But what?" Korra asked him.

"Nothing," he said quietly. "I just…" He decided to change the subject before he broke down and told her. "My family is leaving today, so I'm glad you woke up before we had to go."

"Didn't you just get here?" Korra frowned.

"You've been asleep for a week," Gyatso informed her.

"No wonder I feel so grumpy," his friend frowned. "I've been missing out on combat practice for a whole week."

Despite himself, Gyatso couldn't help but crack a brief, tiny smile. It was such a _Korra_ thing to say, yet it was so unexpected for him in that moment that the only thing he could do was smile.

"Don't ever change, Korra," he said softly.

"Huh?" she asked, his words inaudible to her.

"Nothing," he shook his head, belatedly remembering that he was still supposed to avoid rapid movement for some time. Standing up, he said, "I'll be right back."

"Where are you going?" Korra asked as he let go of her hand.

"I won't be five minutes," he said over his shoulder.

* * *

By the time he returned, however, Korra was fast asleep once more. He considered waking her up, but he knew that she needed her rest. Clutching the object that he had gone to retrieve to his heart, he sighed heavily and moved to set it in the crook of her arm.

"Get well soon, Korra," he murmured quietly as he left her new doll in her possession. Turning around, he went to step out the door to go find his family.

"You'd better write me." Korra's voice stopped him in his tracks and caused him to turn and look back at her.

Her eyes were closed, but she was grinning. Finding the courage to smile just the smallest bit once more, he replied, "I will. Promise."

* * *

Over the next two years, Gyatso redoubled his efforts to master his airbending, both the martial and spiritual aspects. The results spoke for themselves when, at the age of twelve, like his grandfather before him, he earned his mastery tattoos.

However, in one small-yet-vast way, he had actually surpassed his idol. At age twelve, Aang had mastered thirty-five of the thirty-six airbending forms. Gyatso mastered all of them before he decided to submit himself to his culture's final exams. His stated reason for refusing to take the mastery exams until he had perfected every form when he was only required to know twenty was that; "As the first master of the next generation of the Air Nomads, I will not allow myself even the smallest of deviations from setting a model example."

On the day when his marks were applied, his mother was beaming with pride and his father was positively ecstatic. His sisters were excited for him when he revealed his newly christened head to assembly of air acolytes. Korra was still not allowed to leave the new compound that she had been moved to, even for the ceremony, but the boy was able to tell her in person that he was going to take the exams during one of his visits, so she was able to wish him good luck.

However, things took an unexpected turn at the end of the celebration when he declared that his training was still not complete. Even more bizarre, he announced that he planned to go on a year-long sojourner's journey to achieve his goal of becoming a true master.

He had sent Korra a letter explaining his decision, but he timed it so that it would not get to her until after he had left. In it, he said that while his martial prowess had continued to advance at a more-than-expected pace, his spirit had become unsettled and perpetually troubled ever since the death of his great-uncle. Though he could still enter a meditative state with ease, he was unable to completely quiet his mind like he had before- he wanted to change that.

Korra's memory of what had happened the night that the Red Lotus attacked never returned, so she knew nothing of her kidnappers or their attempt to take her away save for the fact that Sokka had been killed that night and that it resulted in her relocation to a new compound even further away from the southern city, and with twice the security as before.

She also knew that Gyatso had taken part in the battle despite his young age, and that he felt responsible for what had happened to the late Southern Chief, despite all of her best efforts to convince him otherwise.

He knew that she would be furious with him if he cut off all contact with everyone, so he made sure to promise that he would continue to write her at every opportunity he had. _Who am I trying to fool? She'll be furious no matter what I say_ , he had thought before sealing the letter and placing it on his desk.

 _Still… I cannot truly accept the mantle of Airbending Master until my mind and body are in harmony once more,_ he told himself. Looking at his newly tattooed hand, he added silently, _Not even with this._

* * *

Gyatso was paired with a sky bison named 'Arun', a specimen with an exceptionally long tail, even for one of his kind. According to Tenzin and Katara, the longer a bison's tail, the faster they were capable of flying, which suited Gyatso just fine. One of the few things he still found pleasure in was listening to the song of the wind as it whistled in his ears when he flew as fast as he could.

"I am honored to be your partner, Arun," he said somberly to the beast after they were introduced, petting him on his soft muzzle. The fluffy monster regarded him with a soft snuffle and a large, friendly brown eye. Turning to Tenzin, who was present alongside his grandmother and mother, who was now expecting a fourth child, he asked, "How did you know that he was the right one for me?"

In the days of Aang's people, the nomads were paired with a bison at a much younger age, and it was often done by presenting groups of children from both parties. However, Aang himself had decided that future airbenders would first have to prove themselves dedicated to their culture in the highest sense before they would be paired with a bison. This stemmed from his belief that as the original airbenders, the sky bison were to be treated with the greatest respect by all future generations of airbenders.

"When you were still just a toddler, my father told me to set aside Arun specifically for you," Tenzin smiled at his son. "He never said why, but I suppose he knew that Arun would take a liking to you."

Gyatso turned back again to look at his new partner with a raised eyebrow and the words, "So Grandfather knew you were the one, hmm?" Arun closed his eye and let out a low rumble in response. This caused Gyatso to smile slightly and say in an undertone, "I suppose I won't get answers that easy."

"Do you know where you'll go?" Pema asked, worry in her voice and expression.

Gyatso nodded as he walked over to be closer to his family. "I plan to go to Hira'a," he said. Hira'a was a small village in the Fire Nation known for its acting troupe and tropical beaches, as well a haunting valley where spirits were rumored to reside.

"Planning to visit Zuko?" Katara asked him with a warm, understanding smile.

"I do," Gyatso nodded. "I don't know how long I'll stay, but I promise to let you know when I arrive and when I leave."

"Don't be afraid to write something about what happens in between, all right?" Tenzin asked him with a small smile. "And don't ever be afraid to come home whenever you want."

"I wouldn't dream of it," Gyatso replied as he gave his father a formal bow. "I'll write often, and I'll be home before you know it."

"A year is an awfully long time," Pema winced as she placed a hand on her swollen womb. "You won't reconsider staying until at least your next sibling is born?"

Gyatso shook his head immediately as he straightened, somewhat to his parent's disappointment. "I'm still not certain of how I fit in with my sisters," he said somberly. "And until I can be a prime example of what an airbending master should be, I don't want to influence their training, be it positive or negative."

"Gyatso, we want your sisters to know you as you grow up with them," Tenzin said as he put a large hand on his son's slender shoulder. "No one is perfect. Until you realize this, you will never have mastery over inner peace."

"I know," he nodded. "But I can't find my inner balance here, where I'm constantly surrounded by the memories that haunt me."

* * *

"He'll be fine, Pema, Tenzin," Katara told them as they watched the boy fly off into the sunset. "He's a mix of the best parts of both of you."

"Ha," Tenzin chuckled softly as Pema tried to stifle her tears. "I think that you and Dad played some parts in the development of his character, too."

"Mmm…" Katara hummed contentedly. As she continued watching her grandson fly off on his own path, the humming turned into a tune, which began to form words. Words that had been taught to her by Iroh before he passed away, for times when sadness seemed to be all that was in your heart, and you needed a release for the heartache to transform it into a wish.

The words she sang went:

" _Leaves from the vine, falling so slow_

 _Like fragile, tiny shells, drifting in the foam._

 _Little soldier boy, comes marching home_

 _Brave soldier boy, comes marching home."_

* * *

It took Gyatso two weeks to make it to Hira'a, home of Ursa, Zuko's mother, and his current residence. He was discreet in his search for the former Firelord, wearing a combination of a hood, headband, and gloves to hide his arrows, for he did not wish to call attention to himself. He wandered through the town, talking with the locals that caught his fancy, even stopping long enough to watch part of the theater that they had become known for.

It took him some time, but eventually he found the house of Kiyi, Zuko's youngest sister. It was a neat-looking building, large but not overtly so. Assuring Arun that he would not be long in returning, he told his steed to wait in the trees that bordered the town before he walked up the steps to the comfortable-looking home and knocked hesitantly on the door.

There was the sound of bare feet pattering on the ground coming from within, so he straightened his posture and prepared to introduce himself. The door slid open to reveal a girl his own age with pale skin, olive green eyes, and long brown hair. "Hi," she grinned as she waved a hand at him, which was wrapped in bandages. "Can I help you?"

"Erm…" He hesitated, wondering how much he should say to this girl- she was clearly not who he was looking for, and there was no telling if she knew Zuko or not.

"Sakura, who is it?" a familiar voice called from within the house.

"Some boy with weird clothes and a headband, Uncle," the girl called over her shoulder. "Should I send him away?"

"A headband?" the other voice said, sounding intrigued. "Hold on, I'm coming."

Gyatso waited patiently until the other speaker came into view and stepped out onto the porch, his golden eyes widening slightly with surprise as they beheld the sight of the young airbender.

"Good afternoon, Lord Zuko," Gyatso said as he bowed in the formal fire nation style that his father had shown him.

"Good afternoon, Gyatso," Zuko replied with a slight bow of his own before reaching over and flicking back the boy's hood and headband in a single motion with his fingers. His eyebrows and the corners of his mouth went up as he added, "Or should I call you 'Master' Gyatso now?"

"Actually, that's why I'm here," the boy said somberly as he straightened himself. "I need to speak with you, in private if possible."

"Uncle, who is this boy?" the girl asked curiously. "Why does he have an arrow on his head?"

"I'll tell you later, dear child," Zuko smiled at the girl. "For right now, please tell your mother that we will be having an extra guest for dinner, and prepare some tea for when we come inside. I would appreciate it."

"Okay, but only if you show me how to do the Dragon's Breath tomorrow," Sakura grinned easily.

"I'll think about it," Zuko smiled back at the girl. "Come, then. Off you go."

"See you later, Mister," Sakura waved at the boy again before going inside, shutting the door behind her.

Gyatso looked a question at the old man, who said, "That was Sakura, my sister's youngest daughter. She's quite the talented firebender, and a delight to teach."

"I saw that she was bandaged…" Gyatso frowned. "Did she get hurt during practice?"

"Yes, but nothing that time won't heal," Zuko said as he sat down, gesturing for Gyatso to do the same. "Come now, my boy. How is it that you've come all this way to see me?"

Gyatso was quiet for a moment, listening to the sounds of the wind moving through the island. When he did answer, it was with the words, "I want to take my training to the next level."

"How so?"

The boy paused again, choosing his words carefully, so he would not be misunderstood. "I seek balance within myself, but I have exhausted every technique that my people knew of in order to try and confront my inner turmoil, but to no avail. Now I seek a different perspective.

"In this time, I think to the tale of your own life, Lord Zuko. I remember how when you were suffering inside the most, you turned to your uncle, and he taught the ways of the water tribe in order to not only continue your firebending training, but to also teach you about the nature of balance itself. So now I turn to you, and ask that you teach me in the hopes that I can find balance within myself."

Zuko considered the boy's words for some time before giving an answer. It was with a grimace that he said, "I see Katara has not lost her habit of speaking about other people's… private affairs."

Gyatso was abashed, ducking his head as he realized that he had pried a little too deeply into a respected elder's past to further his own goals. Seeing that he was chastened, Zuko smiled a bit and put his hand on the boy's back, saying, "I think in light of the fact that she saved my life many times, I can pardon this little oversight of hers."

* * *

Gyatso was as good as his word. During the year that he was gone, he wrote his family regularly, relating to them his progress in his training with Zuko weekly. He also wrote to Korra on a regular basis, though she had been more than a little angry with him for just leaving without telling her anything prior.

Still, their friendship endured, and she found it very interesting that he was studying with a master firebender. She was always eager for the details of the training, and it seemed to push her even harder in her quest to conquer the element of earth so that she could then move onto firebending.

Gyatso never said explicitly what it was that he doing to train, though he did hint at experimenting with some firebending forms a few times. Other than that, he simply talked about how Lord Zuko and his family were faring during his stay.

Lady Kiyi, her husband, and their three children- two brothers and Sakura- were most accommodating to the newcomer, treating him as one of their own. It seemed that they enjoyed learning from the quiet airbender whenever he would overcome his shyness enough to sit and talk with them about his own culture whenever he was not learning about theirs.

Zuko sent a few letters of his own to Gyatso's parent's without the boy's knowledge, remarking on his progress in overcoming his shyness in favor of speaking more openly and easily with others.

A couple of months after Gyatso left home, he received news that his newest sibling was a boy-his first brother. He was surprised to hear that- he had honestly been expecting another baby sister, but he said nothing of his surprise when he wrote back to congratulate them on the arrival of Meelo.

During this time, he made sure to nurture his bond with Arun, flying with him regularly and going on short excursions with Zuko in tow, who at one point remarked that Gyatso's bison was noticeably faster than Appa. Whether or not that was good or bad, he did not say, but the young monk refrained from going at top speed whenever the older man joined them on an adventure as a courtesy to his increasing age.

By the time that the year had passed, Gyatso had undergone both physical and spiritual training with Zuko that he had never thought existed, even going so far as to study chakras alongside the wise man. The former Firelord definitely had a different way of viewing things than the air nomads did, but Gyatso accepted his views, knowing that there were good reasons for Zuko seeing things the way that he did.

This was not to say that he agreed with his new teacher on everything, but he did his best to keep an open mind and heed the wisdom that Zuko had to offer.

* * *

When the time came for him to return home, Gyatso found himself realizing that he was going to miss training with Zuko, and the company of Kiyi's family.

"Thank you all, for everything you've done for me," he said as he bowed to the household and its inhabitants.

"We'll miss you, Gyatso," Kiyi smiled kindly at him. "Give your family our best."

"Don't be a stranger, okay?" Sakura grinned at him. "Feel free to come by anytime you're in the Fire Nation."

"I will," he promised. Turning to Zuko, he bowed to his mentor and said, "I'll remember everything you taught me, Master. Thank you again."

"The pleasure was mine, Gyatso," Zuko smiled fondly at the teenager. "Remember, the fire burns only as brightly as you will it to."

"It shall burn the wielder as quickly as its intended target, should its master waver in their conviction," Gyatso recited.

"Very good," Zuko nodded. Reaching into his robe, he pulled out a small scroll and said, "Before you go, I wanted to give you this."

The boy took the parchment, noticing that the wax seal on it was the royal Fire Nation insignia's. "What is this?" he asked.

"Wait until you get home with your parents to find out," Zuko smiled a little more mischievously. "I promise, it will be worth the wait."

"As you wish, Sifu," Gyatso bowed once more.

Zuko ignored the bow in favor for a hug as he said, "Safe travels, my young friend."

* * *

Gyatso returned home after his year-long journey with his head held high and his shoulders no longer slumped with the weight of guilt. His parents, the first ones to welcome him home, might not have recognized him, if not for the arrows on his body and the fact that he was riding a sky bison.

At age thirteen, the boy had allowed his hair to grow back out instead of going bald like many masters of the past had. He had grown much taller in his absence, and he carried himself with a new air of confidence that had been lacking even before the attack of the Red Lotus.

He and Arun landed in the meditation yard, where his parents were waiting for him. He dismounted immediately, using an air current to levitate himself safely to the ground before facing his parents directly with a smile on his face.

 _What kind of training did he go through?_ Tenzin thought as his son bowed to him. Gyatso looked very different from the depressed, haunted boy that had left home a year prior.

"I've come home, Father," Gyatso said as he straightened just in time to be hugged by Pema. "Hello, Mother," he said as he returned the embrace.

"Welcome home, Son," she sniffled as she held her eldest son.

"Yes, welcome back," Tenzin added as he smiled at the boy. "Did you find what you were looking for?"

"I did," Gyatso nodded as Pema stepped back to look at him again. "I won't ever forget what happened, but… I am whole again."

"I'm glad to hear it," Tenzin said, his smile becoming one of relief.

"Actually, Lord Zuko sent me home with something that he said not to open until I saw you both, and I'd like to know what it is," Gyatso said as he reached into his robes.

"What's this?" Pema asked as he produced the scroll Zuko had given him.

"I honestly have no idea, but Lord Zuko sealed it with the royal insignia, so I imagine that it's important," Gyatso shrugged. Breaking the seal, he rolled open the paper and began to read it aloud.

"This document is granted to the Airbending Master Gyatso, son of Tenzin and Pema, to notify him that he is hereby granted the honorary title 'Dragon'…" Gyatso's eyes widened, and he paused to re-read the words, making sure that he wasn't seeing things wrong.

"Dragon?" Pema gasped. "Isn't that title reserved for firebenders of the highest skill, though?"

"That's what I was told, but maybe there is more to this," Tenzin said, clearly in awe. "Keep reading, Son."

"Er, yes," he stammered, his mind still reeling from the surprise. "Where was I…? Ah yes: '…he is hereby granted the honorary title 'Dragon' by Firelord Izumi. When travelling in the Fire Nation, he is to be formally addressed as 'The Dragon of the Wind', due to his dedication to learning the ways of the Fire Nation while holding true to his own roots and the esteem in which Lord Zuko holds him."

He rolled the scroll back up, shock on his face as he finished, saying, "It's signed by the Firelord herself."

"This is amazing, Gyatso!" Pema exclaimed.

"What did you do to earn such praise from Zuko?" Tenzin asked, clearly impressed by his son again. "It used to be that one had to defeat a dragon in order to hold that title."

"Well… I doubt it was any singular accomplishment, but…" Gyatso smiled sheepishly. "Father, I have something to show you, as one airbending master to another."

"Oh?" Tenzin asked with a raised eyebrow. "What's this?"

"I… may have created a new Airbending form, based on what I learned from my time with Lord Zuko," Gyatso said. "I believe it holds the elements of both and fire and air in essence, and I would like you to see it."

Tenzin's eyes widened so much, it was a wonder that they didn't pop out of his head. "My son, creating a new form…" he breathed slowly. "One with the highest approval of a Firelord, no less…"

* * *

That night, Gyatso demonstrated what would eventually go on to become the official thirty-seventh form of airbending. He had modeled it after the firebending form 'The Dancing Dragon', and in honor of his son's new title Tenzin decided to call the form 'The Dance of the Wind Dragon'.

It was graceful like the wind in its movements, but the power it released held the potential of a terrible fire, controlled only by the fiercest will. It took the best of both elements, merging the smooth, spiraling motions of an air current with the ferocity of a raging dragon.

"Why did you take it upon yourself to develop this?" Tenzin asked his son after he had finished demonstrating his new techniques. It was clear that this was no simple demonstration of arms- Gyatso had poured his spirit into creating this new form, showing in it the emotions and conviction that had driven him to such lengths to reform himself.

"Because I wanted to learn to control my inner fire," Gyatso answered him. Looking out at the ocean that surrounded his home, the boy sighed and said, "I let the flames in my heart burn out of control that night that the Red Lotus came… And I couldn't allow myself to run the risk that I might get someone I care about hurt again until I had received proper instruction in how to control it."

"So…" Tenzin mused as he looked out alongside his son. "You wanted to master the anger you felt. And you wanted to come to terms with how it could affect you if you didn't."

"Yes," Gyatso nodded. "I'm not perfect, nor will I ever be. But I will never stop moving forward. I'll keep learning from my mistakes, letting them make me stronger as a person."

"Son," Tenzin said as he placed a hand on his shoulder. Looking up, Gyatso saw that his father was smiling as he said, "You've taken your first step in becoming an example that others can follow. You've grown to be a wise young man, and I'm very proud of you. …And I know your grandfather is, too."

Gyatso smiled broadly for the first time in a long time as he said, "Thank you, Father."

* * *

During the months following his return, Gyatso further shocked his parents by finally showing some interest in interacting with his younger siblings- or rather, one of them.

He and Jinora began to connect in a very significant way. The girl was turning out to be a studious sort, and she liked hearing stories about the old airbenders from her father, like her brother. However, Tenzin's work in Republic City often kept him busy, so eventually Jinora decided to go to Gyatso for story time. At first he was a little perturbed, but eventually he found that it was somewhat enjoyable to share his knowledge with someone else, especially when they sat silently without interrupting him constantly.

Ikki and Meelo simply got on his nerves with their loud and obnoxious behavior, especially the youngest child. Unlike their older brother and sister, they found the outdoors and running around without a care in the world much more exciting than any of the epics and legends that could be found in the pages and scrolls that Jinora and Gyatso loved so much.

"I would trade both of them for Korra if I were allowed," he complained to Jinora one day.

"I don't think that it would be any quieter," the little girl said. "Korra gets loud when she's mad."

"And she gets angry a lot," Gyatso sighed heavily as he shut a book that he had been studying. "I suppose you're right." Then a thought struck him, and he turned to Jinora with slight smile as he said, "Speaking of Korra… I can't believe I only just realized this, but I haven't seen her in over a year." He mulled over his thoughts quietly for a moment before he looked his sister in the eye and asked, "Care to come with me for a trip to the South? We can see Gran-Gran, too."

"With Mommy and Daddy?" Jinora asked.

"No, just you, Arun, and me," Gyatso grinned. "How does that sound? We won't have to worry about Ikki tearing through the room while we're trying to read."

"Hmm…" Jinora put her hand on her chin as she thought it over. "Will Daddy be okay with us gone?"

"I think he'll be fine with it," Gyatso told the little girl. "Mother is the one that's going to take come convincing…"

* * *

As it turned out, it wasn't hard to convince their mother to let them take the trip.

Pema's only complaint was that it seemed like he was trying to get away from them as often as he could now, but it was mostly a pretense on her part. After assuring her that he would be gone for no more than two weeks, she gave the trip her blessing before leaving the two airbenders to talk.

Tenzin, on the other hand, was absolutely adamant that Jinora would not go anywhere without her father to protect her. "Just because you went on a trip by yourself, it does _not_ mean that you can take care of Jinora out in the wild!" he all but shouted.

"It's hardly the wilderness," Gyatso protested mildly.

"I said absolutely not!" Tenzin repeated stubbornly.

"Honey, can I talk to you for a moment?" Pema said as she pulled on her husband's robe to lead him into the next room, where she shut the door, and Gyatso could only make out muffled voices for the next few minutes.

After emerging from the room, Pema gave her husband a look that sent him walking slowly to face his son. Tenzin said, "Your mother reminds me that while you are young, you are a capable airbender… And she points out that an opportunity like this will be good for you and Jinora to bond, as we have been hoping for some time.

"My work in Republic City has been increasing as of late, so I don't have the time to make visits to the south anymore. But I suppose there is no real problem with you going to the south on your own, especially now that you have your own bison."

"Thank you," Gyatso said as he bowed in gratitude to his father.

"There is one catch," Tenzin told him before he could leave. "While you're travelling, I want you to continue Jinora's training."

"Me?" Gyatso asked, eyes wide.

"You don't think that I gave you the rank of 'Master' for no reason, do you?" Tenzin said. "Earning those arrows means that you are ready to teach others in the ways of our people, and I expect you to hold to that responsibility. I know Ikki and Meelo are both too young and disinterested for right now, but Jinora is every bit as dedicated as you were at that age. So I'll take it as a personal favor if you help nurture that spirit of hers."

"Of course, Father," Gyatso said as he unconsciously rubbed the arrow on his head in surprise. "I meant no offense- I'm just surprised that you think I'm ready, especially since I'm not even fourteen yet."

"Your grandfather was fourteen when he began to instruct the air acolytes," Tenzin reminded him. "He took to the role well, and given your past record, I have every reason to believe that you'll do just as well."

"As you wish," the boy nodded. Then he left to go make preparations for the trip.

* * *

As they travelled, Gyatso heeded his father's command well, having Jinora practice her meditation while he focused on flying Arun through the skies. Whenever they landed to have a meal or make a camp for the night, he would guide her through the movements of the eleventh airbending form. And before they went to sleep each night, he would read to her from the teachings of the ancient air nomads.

The little girl ate up every word he spoke, and followed every instruction he gave her to the letter, her determination to become a great airbender speaking volumes through the effort she put into her training.

Gyatso was impressed with her dedication, and it caused him to reflect on just how much she had grown up while he had been gone. _I suppose I shouldn't be surprised,_ he thought with a small smile as she slid seamlessly from one stance to the next during one of their practice sessions. _After all, she's just as much an heir to Grandfather's legacy as me._

* * *

A few days later, they found themselves in view of the new compound where Korra resided. Tenzin had given them directions since it had been quite some time since Gyatso had been to the new area, in addition to reminding them that they would have to go in through the front like everyone else that was permitted to visit the compound. Apparently after the would-be kidnapping incident, the White Lotus had decided that they would guard even against the slightest of dangers by doubling down their security.

 _The Red Lotus…_ Gyatso thought with a frown as he direct Arun to land in front of the massive gates that were lined with dozens of sentries. _I wonder what their connection is to the White Lotus? There must be one of some kind, but according to Father, none of the intruders have answered any questions despite interrogations, other than to give their names, and we don't even know if they were telling the truth about that._

He recalled what his father had told him about the people almost unconsciously as he gazed at the wintery tundra, remembering the last time that he had come to the south.

Zaheer was a non-bender, though it was clear from his actions in the fight that he knew the human body well, and was very likely a chi-blocker. The tall woman, P'Li was a concussion-bender. The other, shorter woman was called Ming-Hua, a waterbender that had apparently lost her arms but was still very much capable of waterbending, often using her abilities to give herself appendages of liquid to replace the missing limbs.

The final member of the attack had not been completely unknown to Gyatso, though he had not fought him during the battle. Ghazan had been posing as a White Lotus sentry- the one that had tackled the boy on his way to see Korra- likely with the intent of allowing his comrades into the compound in order to carry out their plan. His earthbending talents were even rarer than those of a metalbender, for he possessed the power to vibrate the earth so rapidly that it would heat the element up enough to turn the very ground into lava.

 _So much talent and potential, yet they chose to use those gifts for such evil,_ he thought with a shake of his head. _What a waste._

Arun touched down just as he finished pondering these thoughts, the impact causing him to refocus on the present. Releasing the reins that were tied to his steed's horns, he grabbed his staff and leaped off of his seat on the bison's neck. "Thank you, my friend," he said as he scratched Arun under his eye, causing the white-and-brown beast to let out a low rumble of pleasure.

"Thank you for the ride, Arun," Jinora said politely as she too, leaped off of the bison to land in the snow.

Gyatso turned around to find himself faced with a half-dozen sentries, all prepared to fight him at the slightest provocation. Sighing to himself, he stepped forward with his staff in one hand, and Jinora holding his free one before saying, "I am Gyatso, son of Tenzin, and Airbending Master. I have permission to enter these premises."

"Do you have any identification to prove this?" the lead sentry asked, unimpressed. Then again, sentries are rarely impressed by anything.

"I carry an airbender's staff, and I come in riding on a sky bison," Gyatso replied, insulted. "And I bear the marks of an airbending master. Only one other person in the entire world can claim as much, and he is also allowed to come here as he pleases."

"So you say," the sentry replied. "Wait here while I notify my superiors." He stamped his foot, and the snow swallowed him up, presumably to take him beneath the gate and into the compound.

"Why are they making us wait?" Jinora asked as she shivered, already getting cold. "I want to go inside."

"Soon, Jinora," Gyatso said patiently. "They don't want bad people getting in, so they have to make sure that we're okay to go inside."

"But we're not bad," Jinora frowned, the situation still escaping her. "So why do they want to make us wait?"

Gyatso had to hide a smile- she had basically just voiced his inner exasperations. "I know they're being silly, but it shouldn't be long before we get to go inside where it's warm," he told her.

Even as he finished speaking, the ground vibrated a bit just before the sentry popped back up, this time accompanied by a heavy-set man that Gyatso recognized from the night that he had first met Korra. "Master H'ren," the boy said as he bowed respectfully to the Grand Lotus, Jinora copying his movements a bit belatedly.

"Young Master Gyatso," the man replied neutrally. "What brings you here after being away for so long?"

"I owe my grandmother and my friend a visit," Gyatso answered him, ignoring the borderline insult offered to him. "I trust that Korra is still allowed to have visitors?"

"She is, but she was not expecting to see you," H'ren said. "If you would like, perhaps she will be ready for you tom-"

"I'm not a child for you to belittle," Gyatso said, his voice taking on a slightly harsh cast that caused the older man to stiffen. "I may be young, but I bear the marks of a fully qualified master. Were my father here, you would not be so cold to him. In our culture's society, he and I are considered near equals, and I won't have you disrespecting our ways, even if you don't like me."

H'ren was speechless for a moment, the confidence with which Gyatso spoke unsettling him a bit. When he had composed himself, he looked the boy up and down for a moment before saying, "You have grown, Gyatso."

The boy did not reply, simply waiting for H'ren to do something one way or another.

Seeing that the boy was not interested in pleasantries, he said with a defeated sigh, "Master Gyatso is welcome here at all times. Let him pass."

"Thank you," the airbender acknowledged.

* * *

After securing Arun in a stable-like area, Gyatso and Jinora spent lunch with their grandmother, who was absolutely delighted to see them both. They then moved on to find Korra with the intent of surprising her. They found her practicing earthbending, tearing up part of the outdoor area that served as her training yard, complete with a sparring circle and an obstacle course.

The eleven-year-old girl was several inches taller than when Gyatso had last seen her, and her hair was getting longer, too. It fell just past her shoulders, even when they were held in clasps that fell on either side of her head. Her muscles were becoming more defined, too, the result of thousands of hours dedicated to training to master the elements.

He chose the moment after she used a hammer fist technique to walk up behind her and say, "You're keeping your elbow too tight when you drop the fist."

"Oh yeah?" she said without missing a beat as she turned around. "Let's see if you're saying the same thing when I drop my knuckles on your thick skull."

"Don't you have respect for masters?" Gyatso replied with a raised eyebrow as he tapped the arrow on his forehead.

"Not when they leave for more than a year without telling me first," she replied dryly. Her expression was a neutral one, but her eyes told Gyatso that his absence had hurt her more than she had let on in their letters.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you," he said quietly, dropping the teasing tone he had been using in favor of a more somber one. "You deserved to know."

The girl levelled a stern gaze at him for a few tense seconds before finally breaking into a smile as she crossed the distance to throw her arms around his shoulders and squeeze him in a firm embrace. "Just don't ever disappear on me again," she told him. "I really missed you."

"I missed you too," he said quietly as he returned the hug. Then the two of them smiled as Jinora wrapped her smaller arms around their waists, effectively turning the gathering into a group hug.

"Those arrows suit you," Korra said as they pulled apart. "I'm real happy that you passed your exams."

"Thanks," Gyatso grinned again. "I just hope I can live up to Father's new expectations."

"What new expectations?" Korra asked.

"Gyatso is teaching me airbending," Jinora piped up. "Daddy told him that he had to."

"And he agreed to it?" Korra asked, surprised. The boy that she had first met six years prior- or even the one that she had last seen just over a year ago- would have never agreed to such a thing. Looking her friend up and down, she muttered, "I guess you have changed quite a bit."

"I do my best," Gyatso shrugged. "Let's just say that Lord Zuko is a lot more… direct in his approach to teaching. Perhaps some of his mannerisms rubbed off on me."

"I think so," Jinora said. "You're a lot nicer now than you used to be."

Korra had to smother a laugh at Gyatso as he found himself at a loss for words. "Your brother has always been very nice, Jinora," Korra said as she smiled at her friend. "He just has a hard time showing it to people."

* * *

Five more years passed with Korra continuing in her journey to master the four elements. Gyatso visited her even more often than before, bringing Jinora with him frequently. During the times in between, they continued their habit of writing each other letters to keep in touch.

The Avatar mastered the elements of earth and fire during this time while Gyatso continued tutoring his little sister in the art of airbending. Ikki and Meelo also began their training, though Tenzin decided that until they were ready to take their studies more seriously than their currently-rambunctious attitudes would allow, he would not waste his eldest son's time, especially since he still had subjects that he wished to pursue on his own. Jinora was well-disciplined enough to learn at a steady pace from the young man- her younger siblings were simply not up to the task.

Ikki was now eight, and her boundless energy was only matched by her fast-paced talking. Meelo was even worse as a five-year-old boy with a penchant for disrupting Air Temple Island's inhabitants with his antics. Neither one of them seemed to possess an iota of the patience and self-control that their elder siblings had. They did however, love and respect their father and mother a great deal like Jinora and Gyatso did, even though they acted much differently than their elders.

Pema was now seven months pregnant with Tenzin and her fifth child- and this was the last one, she had told him.

During the autumn of Gyatso's eighteenth year, he received- in his opinion- some rather incredible news. Korra had passed her firebending exams, and it was time for her to begin her training with airbending. This meant that his family would be moving to the South in order to be with Tenzin while he trained the girl.

 _We've spent our entire lives at a distance from one another,_ he thought. _I can't wait to become a regular part of her life._ From what she had said in her letter, the sixteen-year-old shared his sentiment, ecstatic at the prospect of having him and his family close by.

Unfortunately, there was a great disappointment in store for both him and the Avatar.

* * *

This disappointment weighed heavily on his heart as he guided Arun to the compound where Korra had lived for the last six years. He was following Oogi, his father's sky bison, to their destination, unlike most of his previous visits when it was just him and Jinora. This time, the entire family was going along for the trip, both to see Korra and so that Katara could see her son's family again.

 _I just hope that the news doesn't prove too disappointing,_ Gyatso thought as he noticed Oogi beginning to descend. Tugging slightly on the reins, he prompted his bison to do the same as he added to himself, _She has a strong will, but she's been looking forward to this for so long… Not to mention that I have, too._

"Gyatso?" Jinora asked from behind him. Unlike Meelo, Ikki, and Pema, she had elected to join her older brother for the trip south. "What's wrong?"

"Huh?" he queried, turning around to look back at her with a raised eyebrow.

"Your shoulders are all slumped," Jinora told him as she gazed steadily at him with piercing brown eyes. "That means you're having a hard time with something. I was wondering what it was."

In the past five years, Jinora and Gyatso had become very close, more so than he had ever expected. The little girl was a very perceptive individual, and her elder brother found it very difficult to hide anything from her. As a result, she became his close confidant, and the same held true for her being able to speak with him in absolute confidence.

"This visit is not going to be an entirely pleasant one," he told her, not bothering to try and hide the truth- she always knew when he was lying, so there was no point to it. "I didn't tell her the bad news."

"You didn't?" Jinora asked, surprised. It was rare for Gyatso to hide anything from Korra, be it by omission or direct deceit. "Why not?"

"I didn't want to be the one to tell her the bad news," he shrugged slightly. "I hate seeing her disappointed, and I dislike being the one to disappoint her even more."

"It's not as though you had any control over it," Jinora told him with a slight frown. "Why hide it? It's not like she can be mad at you."

"Want to bet?" he smiled wryly. "It's Korra we're talking about."

"Good point," his sister acknowledged. "Still, she's always quick to forgive you."

"Hmm…" the young man mused quietly as they descended beneath the clouds, the compound coming into view. "Perhaps, but I don't know that she's ever faced a disappointment like this before."

"Just relax," Jinora advised him. "She'll be okay."

 _But will I be when she's done with me?_ He thought with a bit of black humor. Then the time for speculations was over as Arun touched down in the snow, right after Oogi. Tenzin was already dismounted and bowing to his mother, an impressive feat considering how Meelo was perched on his neck and chewing on his gleaming bald head.

Gyatso was just in time for Katara to pull the squirming child off of her son's head, who promptly escaped the elderly woman's grip and ran off to chase Ikki through the snow. "Mother figured out that the best way to keep a hold of him is by grabbing his legs," he said as he approached before bowing to his grandmother.

"Haha, yes, I should have guessed," Katara smiled brightly. "Bumi was much the same when he was that age." Bumi was Tenzin's older brother, but Gyatso hadn't spent much time with him since his active duty in the military kept him very busy. Their middle sister, Kya, was even more elusive, spending much of her days travelling the world wherever she fancied. Gyatso could remember seeing her maybe three times in his entire life.

"It's good to see you, Gran-Gran," Jinora smiled as she walked up to the gathering. "Gyatso has been reading to me all about your old adventures, and I have to ask- what happened to Zuko's mom?"

Gyatso hid a smile at that. Although he had told Jinora that he had stayed with Zuko's younger half-sister during his time in the Fire Nation, he had never related to her exactly how it was that the old 'Team Avatar' had found his mother, much to her chagrin. She had begged him many times to tell her the story of how they found her, but he told her that she had to wait until she had studied the history of Koh the face-stealer. Now it seemed that she was trying to take a shortcut in finding out.

"Well, Jinora, it's an incredible tale," Katara began, only to be interrupted by Ikki popping up in the middle of the gathering while Tenzin moved to help Pema get down from Oogi's back via the bison's tail.

"Gran-Gran!" the little girl chirruped. She began firing off questions faster than a flying lemur could find trouble. "Why is it so cold here?! Why is there so much snow?! Ooh, can you tell us some ghost stories around a campfire? And then use waterbending to make some snow monsters, so then they can chase us around the fire?! Wouldn't that be fun?!"

To the side, Jinora gave out a silent groan of disappointment. Seeing it, Gyatso nudged her with an elbow as he grinned slightly and said, "That's what you get for trying to cheat." The ten-year old said nothing in response, resigned to her defeat. Instead, she fashioned an air scooter and raced off to chase after Meelo, who was currently occupied with the fresh snow all around him.

Katara moved to greet her daughter-in-law with a warm smile, revealing another particular waterbender that had been remaining silent, waiting to be noticed.

Gyatso walked over to Korra with his arms open, which she eagerly ran into, hugging him even harder that the last time they had seen each other. "Still getting stronger, I see," he said as he hugged his oldest friend. "It's good to be back, Korra."

"I'll tell you it's even better to have you here," she said with a bright smile that set her sky blue eyes sparkling. "It's been so long since I've seen your dad, and I've never had the chance to spend much time with Ikki or Meelo." She had met both the younger siblings once, a couple of years back, during Tenzin's last visit to the south.

"I have a feeling that you'll get along very well," he said as she stepped back. They looked one another up and down, noticing the changes that had occurred since their last visit, as was their custom by now.

Gyatso had grown even taller, nearly matching Tenzin in height. Unlike his father, though, he did not sport any facial hair, nor did he leave his scalp bare, instead choosing to let his dark brown locks grow to a middling length for a boy. His arrow was still clearly visible, despite the hair on his head, for he did not let it grow long enough to hide the mark.

Korra was in peak physical condition, with smooth, unblemished skin and a strong-yet-lean frame that showed how hard she had trained to get where she was. Her hair was long enough to fall to her shoulder blades, but she still kept it tied so that fell on either side of her face, in addition to a ponytail that kept most of it back. She was beautiful.

"You look good," Gyatso told her.

"Not so bad yourself, Master Dragon hotshot," Korra teased him with a big smile. "I'll bet all the girls in Republic City are dying to have a chance with the Air Nomad's number one bachelor."

"As if!" Gyatso shot back, reddening rapidly. He didn't know why exactly, but even though he had received similar teasing from his mother and even Jinora a couple of times, he never reacted as badly as when Korra chose to bring up his non-existent love life.

"C'mon, you're the one that was talking about how great it would be to be married when we were little," Korra continued as she jabbed him in the ribs, causing him to redden further. "What happened, did you get cold feet?"

"N-No, the right girl hasn't come along yet," he stammered.

"Uh-huh, and when was the last time you asked a girl out?" his friend pressed, unrelenting. "Or should I ask when the first time you went on a date was?" Her smile, already taunting, grew even more so.

"You know I've never been on a date," Gyatso muttered.

"Okay, I've been locked up in a compound most of my life," Korra snorted. "What's your excuse, bub?"

"I don't have one, nor do I need it," he sniffed. "I'm simply not interested in pursuing a relationship just for the sake of a relationship."

"Okay, shy guy," Korra chuckled, deciding to let her friend off the hook. "Let me know how long that works out for you." Gyatso declined to answer, simply rolling his eyes in exasperated silence.

"Korra?" Tenzin's voice broke in. The pair turned to see that he, Pema, and Katara were approaching. The leader of the Air Nomads had not seen Korra in some time, so he was a little surprised to see how much she had grown. "Look at you," he said with a fatherly smile of approval. "So big and strong. You've grown into quite the young Avatar."

"Master Tenzin," Korra smiled broadly as she swiftly bowed to Gyatso's father. Straightening herself, she added, "It's so good to see you're here- I can't wait to start my airbending training."

"Yes well…" Tenzin hesitated, and Gyatso realized that the moment he had been dreading was at hand.

"You're going to have to tell her eventually," Pema prompted her husband gently.

"Tell me what?" Korra asked, a strange catch in her voice as she looked back and forth between the adults with something close to fear.

It was Katara who voiced this fear, though. "You're not staying, are you?" she asked. Her disappointment was understandable- her son's move south would have meant having her family close to her again.

Tenzin sighed heavily before shaking his head in the negative. "I'm afraid not," he said, and Korra's shoulders slumped. "We're only visiting for the night. Then, I have to return to Republic City."

"What, no!" Korra protested. "You're supposed to move here. Y-You're supposed to teach me!" Her voice was strained with something akin to panic.

"I'm sorry, Korra," Tenzin said. "Your airbending training is going to have to wait."

Gyatso put a hand on her shoulder, hoping to comfort her, but instead she rounded on him, anger etched in her brows and reflected in her eyes. "You knew, didn't you?" she demanded.

He hesitated for a moment before deciding that being direct was the best path to take now. "Yes," he nodded once, his expression grave.

"And you didn't tell me?" she snapped, her eyes blazing with blue fire.

"I didn't want to be the one that caused you pain," he said, continuing to keep his voice low and somber.

"Gyatso, I would've rather heard this from you than from your dad!" she growled as she shoved him away from herself. "You're supposed to be my friend- you're supposed to talk to me about this kind of thing!"

She immediately regretted pushing him when he gazed at her with his somber gray eyes that bore nothing but sadness for her and her situation. "I couldn't do anything about it," he told her. "I'm very sorry, Korra. Both for keeping the truth from you, and being unable to help."

"I…" she faltered, her anger powerless against the remorse that she knew he would be feeling right now. "I know," she finally said. "I'm sorry I pushed you."

* * *

"So, how long until you're ready to teach me airbending?" Korra asked Tenzin at the dinner table. "A week? A month?" Also in attendance to the meeting were Gyatso and H'ren.

Tenzin tried to be careful with his answer, for in truth, he did not have a solid one yet. "It could be much longer," he admitted.

"I don't understand, why are you making me wait?" she groaned in distress.

"Father has a responsibility to Republic City as one of its five leaders," Gyatso reminded her. "His work on the council keeps him very busy, and to make things worse, the situation in back home is rather unstable at the moment." The boy was not privy to every detail of the council meetings, but he had talked with his father and seen enough of the city to have a general idea of what was going on.

"But he also has a responsibility to teach me," Korra protested. "Aang wanted him to teach me airbending, and I don't see anyone else qualified to teach airbending around here. He's stuck with me as much as I am him."

Her words sparked an idea in Gyatso's mind.

But before he could speak, Tenzin tried to calm her down by saying, "Korra, believe me when I say I wish there was another way, but there simply isn't."

"Wait!" Korra exclaimed. "There is. If you can't come down here, then I'll just move to Republic City with you- it's perfect!"

H'ren made a noise of disgust as he slapped the table and said in a hard voice, "Absolutely not! The city is far too dangerous! Avatar Aang tasked us with keeping you _safe_ while you mastered the four elements."

Korra gave him a flat look as she argued, "I get that, but I don't think that keeping me locked up in this compound like a prisoner is what he had in mind."

"Korra, I know this is difficult for you to accept, but it's simply not the right time for you to come to the city," Tenzin said gently.

"Whatever," Korra growled as she made to leave the table, only to be stopped by Gyatso grabbing her wrist.

"There is another way," he said without looking up at her, keeping his gaze fixed on his father and H'ren.

Korra sat back down immediately, intrigued. "Okay," she said. "What did you have in mind?"

"It's not as though Father is the only Airbending Master here," he said slowly.

"You can't be serious," H'ren said with wide eyes. "Master Tenzin, this is-"

"A very good idea," Tenzin interrupted the leader of the White Lotus. "Gyatso more than meets the qualifications necessary to teach the Avatar what she needs to know."

"B-But he has no experience in teaching!" H'ren protested.

"Not so," Tenzin shook his head. "He has been tutoring his sister Jinora in the art of airbending for several years now, and I'd say that she has definitely been better for it."

"Thank you, Father," Gyatso smiled slightly.

"That aside, my son has earned his mastery tattoos, which means that no matter his age, he is fully qualified to teach others our ways," Tenzin added. "I see absolutely no reason why he shouldn't at least begin Korra's training in my stead. It's important that the Avatar returns to the world as soon as possible in order to help maintain the balance."

"If it's so important, why not come train her yourself?" H'ren tried to argue, but Tenzin's mind was made up.

"I hereby hand over the authority to train Korra in airbending to my son, Master Gyatso," Tenzin said, ignoring his colleague's question. "I trust his abilities, and I also trust that the White Lotus will respect him while he teaches her just as much as it would me." The last words were phrased politely, but the meaning behind them was clear.

"You- I- He… Oh, what's the use?" H'ren muttered into his beard. "All right. The White Lotus will accommodate… Master Gyatso in any way he needs to train the avatar."

"Hear that?" Korra grinned at her friend. "He called you 'Master' Gyatso." She could scarcely believe her luck- today had turned out to be even better than she could have expected. Not only was her best friend going to be staying after all, but he was going to be her new teacher!

"Watch it, or I might make you do the same," he teased her back.

"As if," she laughed.

Gyatso's heart lifted, seeing her happy again. _Thank the spirits,_ he thought to himself. _Now to begin the next part of this hare-brained scheme of mine…_

* * *

Gyatso's family left the next morning to make their way back to Republic City. While Korra was saying good-bye to the others, Jinora pulled Gyatso aside and asked, "So what are you really planning?"

Gyatso didn't bother to hide his smile as he said, "Let's just say that the White Lotus and I have very different ideas about what the ideal atmosphere is for training the avatar in airbending and spiritual matters."

Jinora grinned back at him before hugging him and saying, "Be careful, Gyatso."

"Don't worry, the White Lotus won't be a problem," he told her as he returned the hug.

"I wasn't talking about them," she said as she pulled back and jerked her head to indicate Korra. "Her."

"Ah, that is a good point," he muttered. "All right, I promise to be careful."

"I'll see you soon," Jinora said as she waved goodbye to him and headed off to get on Oogi's back. Then his family was gone, flying off into the open blue sky. He, Korra, and Katara watched them go until they were little more than a speck in the sky before deciding to head inside for the day.

"We start your training tomorrow," Gyatso told his newest student. "So get plenty of rest."

"Yes sir!" Korra replied with a mock salute.

* * *

However, the young airbender surprised her that night by dropping for a visit right before she hopped in bed. He knocked on the door before asking, "Is it okay for me to come in?"

"Yeah, come on in," she told him as she sat on her bed.

Gyatso slipped in quietly, hardly making a sound as he shut the door behind him. When he turned to face her directly, he had a mischievous grin that looked like a lot of fun to Korra. "Pack up your essentials," he told her as he tossed a large brown sack at her. "We're leaving."

"Wait, what?" she asked as she looked down at the bag in her hands, not sure that she had heard him right.

"You heard me just fine," he told her. "I'm getting you out of this prison of theirs- and we're taking Naga with us."

"Are you serious?" she gasped, excitement and elation sweeping through her. "Why, though? I thought you were gonna work with the White Lotus."

"I can't work with them if they don't respect me," Gyatso shrugged. "It's clear to me at this point that they only wanted my father to train you because he fits their image of what a master looks like. They'll only ever see me as his protégé, never my own person. Not to mention that one of the key basics in airbending is having an appreciation for freedom. I don't see how you could have developed that, cooped up in here."

"Believe me, I'll be happy to appreciate it once we're out of here," Korra grinned as she darted over to her dresser where her clothes were kept and began stuffing articles in the bag, hands trembling with excitement.

"I should hope so," Gyatso said with a half-laugh. "Even though Father handed your training over to me, and I'm actually within the limits of my authority to this, I imagine that I'm going to get into some trouble."

"Well, I appreciate it, even if nobody else does," Korra said as she paused in her packing long enough to turn around and give him a brief hug. He felt himself turn red without knowing why. As he held her for that brief moment, he felt something stir in his heart- something that had taken root over a decade ago in a small water tribe house in the dead of winter. Even as he felt this tug on his spirit, Korra quickly got back to packing, oblivious to the heat in his face.

"I'm glad you do," he finally managed to say.

"Do I need anything besides clothes?" Korra asked him as she stuffed one last shirt into the pack.

"No, I'll take care of the rest," Gyatso told her.

"Okay, then- wait a sec," she said as she reached over to grab something on top of her dresser. When she turned around, he was not completely surprised to see her holding the doll that he had given her years ago. "I can't leave without this," she grinned. "You still have yours?"

"It's in Arun's saddle with my other belongings," he nodded, thinking of the airbending toy she had given to him when they were children. "I never travel without it."

"Aw, aren't you sweet?" she teased him again. "Well, then. I'll meet you down in the stables where Naga is after I've gotten changed."

"All right," he nodded as he took her travel bag. "Be there in ten minutes, or I'm coming back to make sure you don't fall asleep."

"Who, me?"

* * *

Things went according to plan. Gyatso made sure that all of his things were still secure on Arun's saddle in addition to saddling Naga for Korra so that they could leave as soon as she was ready- the faster they moved, the better. Fortunately, the white polar bear-dog knew Gyatso well enough that she let him saddle her without complaint.

The girl wasn't even five minutes behind him, dashing into the stables just as he had finished applying the harness to Naga. "Okay, I wasn't spotted," she said, slightly out of breath from her run. "I can dig us a tunnel through the ice that leads out of the compound without us being seen by the sentries on the walls."

"Good," he nodded. "It shouldn't be much of a problem getting out unseen anyway- this compound was more designed to keep people out, not in."

"And it's a nice night for an escape, isn't it?" an elderly voice said that caused both of the teenagers to give a start of surprise and whirl around to see Katara step out of the shadows.

Korra was the first to recover, stepping forward and saying, "I have to leave- I have to find my own path as the Avatar."

"I know you do," Katara said with an expression of understanding. Addressing them both, she said, "Aang's time has passed. My brother and many of my friends are gone." Gyatso's face fell a bit at the mention of Sokka, but he did not interrupt as Katara went on to say, "It's time for you two- the next generation- to take your place in bringing balance to the world."

Korra smiled with a mixture of sadness and gratitude to her old master as she moved to hug the elderly woman. "I know you'll be a great Avatar," the old woman told her protégé. Looking over at her grandson with a slightly brighter smile, she added, "You have a wonderful teacher to guide you."

"Thank you, Gran-Gran," the young master said as he moved to join the hug.

* * *

The pair made only one stop on their way out of the South, to visit Korra's parents.

"Mom, Dad," Korra said as she hugged them both goodbye while Gyatso waited by the animals. "I'll miss you."

"We love you so much," Senna said as they released their daughter. Korra pulled back and ran over to where her new teacher waited, before she lost her nerve and decided to stay so that she could be with her parents. _I didn't think that this would be so hard_ , she thought as she blinked away the stinging in her eyes.

Gyatso helped her into Arun's saddle before leaping into the pilot's seat atop his bison's neck. Before he could tell his friend to take off, Tonraq ran up, saying, "Wait!" The airbender paused, wondering what it was that the man wanted. Once he was within range to be heard without needing to shout, Tonraq looked up at the young man and said, "Gyatso- promise me you'll take care of my little girl."

"I will, sir," he said firmly. "I'll give my life to see her safe- you have my word."

"Then go with my blessing," Tonraq said heavily. "Be safe."

"Farewell," Gyatso bowed from the saddle. Then he flicked the reins and said, "Yip yip!" And they were off, Naga running below at a steady pace to keep up with the bison.

Aang's time was now long past, but the Legacy of Korra was just beginning.

* * *

 **Aang: Good to see that Korra will be in good hands.**

 **Mataras: Of course she is- Gyatso _is_ your grandson after all. He'll do you proud, of that you can be sure.**

 **Roku: And it seems that the young airbender is discovering his feelings for a certain girl... Sound familiar, Aang?**

 **Aang: Yes, but I suppose it's in reverse this time- he's the instructor, and she's the Avatar. Still, I'd definitely approve- and it seems like her dad does, too.**

 **Kyoshi: I foresee other lives being woven into this tapestry soon... Red Swordsman, what is it that you have in mind?**

 **Mataras: Ah yes. Next chapter (which our readers can expect to come out on March 1st) will focus on two boys that grew from street thieves with hope for their future into fighters of high caliber that are ready to claim that dream.**

 **Kuruk: That sounds like a story I could appreciate- always loved a good fight.**

 **Yang-Chen: I am confident that the readers will, too.**

 **Mataras: Until next time, I bid you all well wishes. Next time- The Fire Ferrets.**

* * *

The Legacy of Korra- as told by JoshthePoser

 **(A/N: Most sentences are read as though the characters are speaking loudly, with no emotion.)**

"Gyatso, Sokka died, and it's all your fault!" Katara said.

 _FAST FORWARD!_

"Korra, this is the one and only time that I'm ever telling you I'm leaving- bye!" Gyatso announced.

 _FAST FORWARD!_

"It's my life, Mom, I'll get a tattoo if I want to!" Gyatso said.

 _FAST FORWARD!_

"Gyatso, here's your sky bison!" said a random stable hand.  
"Why you six-legged mammal?! Why do you defy science the way you do?!" Sokka's ghost inquired.

 _FAST FORWARD!_

"I told them to stop leaving orphans on my doorstep!" Zuko complained.  
"I know, right?!" said the Blue Spirit.

 _FAST FORWARD!_

"Hey Dad, I invented a new airbending form!" Gyatso told his family.  
"Well you're a nerd!" Tenzin said.

 _FAST FORWARD!_

"I'm just as important as my father!" Gyatso protested.  
"Hah! No you're not!"

 _FAST FORWARD!_

"Where have you been?!" Korra shouted. "I've been worried sick!  
"I'll come home when I feel like it!" the boy shot back.

 _FAST FORWARD!_

"Gyatso and Korra, sittin' in a tree!" Jinora sang. "K-I-S-S-I-"

 _FAST FORWARD!_

 **(A/N: This part is read as written.)**

"Are you going to train me now?" Korra asked.

"Sorry, kiddo... Something came up," Tenzin sighed.

"Oh... Okay... It's okay."

"No, no, maybe in a couple weeks... or- or months."

"No, uh yeah, that- that sounds good."

"Uh, um... Tell you what, we'll go out for ice cream!"

"Yeah, that sounds good."

"Well... see you later, kiddo!" Tenzin said as he flew away.

Korra turned to Katara with tears in her eyes and asked, "Why don't he want me, man?"

 _FAST FORWARD!_

"Let's run away together!"

 _FAST FORWARD!_


	3. The Fire Ferrets

**A/N: As promised, here is the next chapter in the Legacy of Korra epic! Let's take a look at the formation of our favorite probenders, shall we?**

 **Credit to Rebeeza for editing and JoshthePoser for story collaborations.**

* * *

The Fire Ferrets

"Okay, Pabu," said a young man as he looked into the mirror in his bathroom. "How do I look?" He was solidly built, average in height with dark hair and thick eyebrows. His eyes were a vivid green color, signifying his heritage as a descendant of the Earth Kingdom. From this trait was also born his ability to earthbend.

The one that he had aimed the question at was a small, fluffy red creature with white patches and rings on his fur- a fire ferret that been the boy's best friend for several years. It cocked its head at him replied with a high-pitched trill.

The boy frowned at the mirror as he considered Pabu's advice. "You're right, it looked better when it was combed back," he muttered. Reaching for a bottle that was resting on the sink, he opened it and squeezed the contents into his hand before running the sticky substance through his hair, neatly slicking it back before examining his visage in the mirror again.

Flashing a confident grin at the reflection, he said, "Now _that's_ a good-looking guy. Good call, Pabu. Good to know I got the best agent in all of Republic City on my side- the ladies will love this!"

"Bolin, if you're done goofing off, we have a match to get to," a male voice called through the door.

"Coming, Mako!" he replied. He quickly washed his hands, tucked his shirt into his belt, winked at his reflection, and stepped out into the apartment that he and his brother shared. "For the record," he added as he saw his brother throwing on his red scarf, "It takes me less time to get ready than it did for you to do your eyebrows yesterday."

His older brother rolled his eyes in response, but he had no defense for Bolin's verbal jab. He had definitely gone through his fair share of hairstyles before settling for spiking it up in the front, allowing his pointed eyebrows and bright orange eyes to be seen clearly. He too was a bender, but unlike Bolin, his power lay in the manipulation of fire. Although they were full siblings, their parents had come from two different countries, which meant that they did not necessarily share the same abilities.

He stood taller than Bolin by several inches, but he was definitely the slimmer of the two of them. His outfit consisted of a gray shirt with red linings, a black sash that served as his belt, matching pants, shoes, and fingerless gloves. Topping it all off was a deep red scarf that Bolin knew he hardly ever took off.

The younger brother wore a similar outfit, minus the scarf and gloves, and with traces of green instead of red. His sash was a dark green, and his pants were gray with a green tint to them. Stylish, he would call them.

"Well, whether you're satisfied with how you look or not, we'd better get going, or else we're gonna be late," Mako reminded the other boy as he walked towards the door.

"Okay, okay, I'm coming," Bolin muttered as he moved to follow. "You know, the body is a temple, bro. Gotta respect it." He held out his arm, and Pabu immediately leaped up to perch on his shoulders, curling around him like a living neck warmer. Then he paused and looked back at the bathroom as he said, "Although, if I parted it-"

"Not happening, Bo," Mako said as he grabbed his brother by the back of his shirt and dragged him out of the apartment.

"Wait!" Bolin cried. "What about my temple?!"

"What about it?"

* * *

Mako and Bolin had been on the streets since the respective ages of six and eight. Not long after they had moved to Republic City with their parents, they were mugged in a back alley. Mako managed to shield his brother from the actual sight of their parents being cut down by the criminal firebender, but the image of their deaths would haunt him for the rest of his life.

They knew that their father had come from somewhere in Ba Sing Se of the Earth Kingdom, but they had no way to get in touch with their relatives. They were forced to strike out on their own to avoid being torn apart by the city's orphanage system. For almost three years, it was just the two of them against the city that they lived in.

It was a hard life- most nights they slept in alleyways and dumpsters, but thanks to Mako's firebending, they never had to sleep in the cold during the winter. Food they stole, money they begged. For Mako, it was a seemingly endless time in which he was plagued with doubt and despair, never knowing if their luck would run out. For Bolin, it was a long time of misery and longing for his mother and father, broken only by his brother's confident smile and assurance that everything would turn out just fine.

They first found Pabu when the baby ferret tried to swipe some of their food during dinner. Mako had been angry at the rodent, but Bolin begged him to let him keep it as a pet. The elder brother had been strongly inclined to disagree since it was hard enough to keep himself and his brother fed. However, he consented to keeping the creature because he knew that Bolin didn't have any friends that he was close to. There were other children in the underworld, of course, but like the two brothers, they mostly kept to themselves.

This isolation was somewhat broken when they encountered Hasook, a boy the same age as Mako. They met after the boy witnessed them use their bending talents to confuse some shopkeepers and rob their fruit stall blind. Although he wanted for nothing, his rebellious nature enticed him to follow the boys wherever they were taking the goods.

The two brothers quickly realized that they were being followed, so they set aside their ill-gotten gains and proceeded to tackle him as soon as he rounded a corner in pursuit. They were street-fighters, having gotten into plenty of scuffles with other kids over food and shelter, and usually coming out on top. It was only natural that they be surprised when Hasook held them off with advanced waterbending techniques.

When they reached a stand-off, the three boys cautiously proceeded to engage one another in conversation, first about why Hasook was following them, then on to how Mako and Bolin had successfully stolen the food. At first Mako was afraid that Hasook would turn them into the authorities, but the other boy eventually managed to convince him that he had no intention of calling the police- he just wanted to satisfy his curiosity in regards to how they had stolen the fruit, and why. Finally, the three boys decided to be friends and put the misunderstanding behind them.

The two brothers went on to learn that Hasook's life was incredibly different from their own upbringing. His father wasn't around often, but his work provided a very comfortable living for Hasook and his mother. He said that she was a very kind woman, but she didn't like people from the streets- hence Mako and Bolin never went to his house, though the boy did manage to sneak them food from time to time.

He also lent them his schoolbooks whenever he was done with them, something for which Mako was immensely grateful. He had started school himself before his parents died, but Bolin never got the chance. It wasn't a formal education, but it gave him hope that someday they could get themselves off the streets and out of crime.

In return for all of his gifts and friendship, the two brothers showed him their tricks to surviving on the streets of the city, including their methods for stealing food without getting caught even after robbing the same place more than once. Hasook found their life just as fascinating as they found his, even if he did appreciate having at least one of his parents in his life.

This went on for some time, and Mako was happy to see that his younger brother finally had a friend beside himself and Pabu. He and Hasook tended to butt heads over things here and there, but for the most part they got along very well.

Unfortunately, it could not last. Hasook's curiosity got the better of him when he asked the boys to let him help with the robbery of a food stall. Mako was reluctant to let him in on the maneuver, but both of the other boys pestered him until he gave into their demands. They went over their 'game plan', then set out to put it in motion.

Suffice to say, Hasook botched his part and ended up getting caught by the local authorities while Mako and Bolin were forced to flee to avoid being captured along with him. They felt guilty of course, but it was an entirely different matter between him getting caught then being turned over to his mother and them being put into the city's orphanage system.

They waited for three weeks before they felt it was safe to try contacting him again. When they did manage to catch him outside of his home, the conversation that followed was less than pleasant.

* * *

They didn't see one another for six years following that event. Bolin and Mako remained on the streets until Mako managed to get some work with one of the more prominent gangs of Republic City- the Triple Threat Triads. He was careful to keep out of the mob's messier jobs from the continued fear of being separated from Bolin. He mostly ran numbers for the gang's shipments from their legal activities that acted as fronts for their darker businesses. However, his reluctance to get his hands dirty led to constant questioning of his loyalties.

Despite this particular issue, Shady Shin, one of the leaders of the Triad, took Mako under his wing, protecting him from extreme scrutiny. The work paid well enough for them to get their own apartment as soon as Mako turned sixteen, the legal age for striking out your own in the city. Food was tight sometimes, but they made do, especially since Bolin did some manual labor for the gang as part-time work.

It wasn't the only benefit that came from their situation, though. For better or worse, Mako caught the eye of the big man himself, Lightning Bolt Zolt, the head crime lord of the gang. It wasn't his work with the mathematics that caught his eye, though- it was his firebending talents.

Raised by the streets of Republic City, Mako had learned to be efficient in the use of his flames. One wrong move, and a fireball could lead to burning down a city block if the circumstances were right. As a result of the developed need for quick action and careful aim, he could hit his intended target with a speed and accuracy that might put an airbender to shame. His dexterity was also something to note, as he had been witnessed taking on three other benders without actually losing any ground while he dodged their attacks before knocking them all flat with a few quick moves of his own.

Bolin was not quite as capable as his brother, but he was certainly comparable in strength. He was faster than most earthbenders, and while his dodging capabilities couldn't match Mako's, his quick reflexes allowed him to use his bending to block potential attacks at just the right moment before retaliating with chunks of earth.

This did nothing to impress the higher-ups, but it did catch the eye of an athlete named Toza who led a pro-bending team called the Boar-q-pines that was funded in secret by the Triad. As it was Republic City's most popular sport, probending naturally caught the eyes of the greedy Triple Threat leaders.

Toza was Bolin's idol. When he learned that the man had a connection to the triads, he begged him to teach him how to fight. At first the kid's talents impressed the athlete, but his overbearing attitude annoyed Toza to no end. However, when he realized the issue was simply that Bolin reminded him of his younger, more foolish self, he finally consented to teaching him how to probend.

While Bolin was being taught by one of Republic City's champion benders, Mako took lessons from Zolt on how to channel lightning.

* * *

As time went by Bolin began to develop a deep interest in competing in the championship that Republic City held every year in a grand arena. Toza's team held the record for the most wins in the history of the sport- four championships, to be exact. The man himself retired shortly after he started teaching Bolin and opened up his own gym, but the Boar-q-pines remained a crowd favorite.

At first Mako dismissed the idea of trying to compete in the sport- he was more focused on how they were going to make ends meet. But his brother finally got his attention when he mentioned that the prize money would be more than enough to maintain their standard of living for at least two years.

Mako considered their options for some time, trying to weigh out which path would benefit him and Bolin the most. On one hand, they could keep working part-time for the triads, but that ran the risk of them eventually being forced to work for the triads the rest of their lives as criminals- a life he wanted to avoid at any cost. However, if the pro-bending didn't pan out, they would likely end up back on the streets. Whichever choice he made, it could end up comprising them not only financially, but morally as well.

The single biggest problem that they faced was a lack of money for equipment, entrance fees, and a waterbending teammate. Teams in probending consisted of three benders, each of a different capability- one waterbender, one firebender, and one earthbender.

With all of this in mind, Mako decided to go see Hasook once more. It was a very long shot, he knew, but if they were going to solve all of those problems at the same time, their old childhood friend was their best bet.

He knew that Hasook's family had money from his time spent with the boy during their childhood- his mother simply preferred a more modest lifestyle. Not to mention his taste for adventure and a bit of mischief that had gotten him in trouble in the first place was likely still a part of him. _I hope so, anyways,_ Mako thought as he approached the yard of Hasook's prep school.

The young man had been nothing short of surprised when Mako approached him at his school during the lunch break. At seventeen years old, Hasook nearly matched Mako in height, and he looked like he had kept up with his martial arts training over the years.

His first reaction had been hostility, but the firebender convinced him to hear him out, especially since he insisted that there was no thievery involved in his proposition. Skeptical but curious, Hasook warily agreed to listen to the plan Mako had.

The young man explained Bolin's suggestion to enroll in probending as a team, and Hasook managed to figure out most of it from there. "So you guys need me to ante up the cash to supply this thing?" he had asked dryly.

Mako didn't deny it, simply waiting for the other boy to make up his mind. Hasook sighed heavily after thinking it over for a few minutes and asked, "Okay, assuming we can even make it past the preliminary rounds, how were you planning to split the dough?"

"Three ways, even portions to each of us," Mako answered. "Seem fair?"

"No," Hasook shook his head, confusing Mako for a moment. "If we're doing this, you and Bolin will get half the winnings, and I'll get the other half."

"Wha-"

"Unless you can magically produce your fair share of the yuons it's gonna take to fund a team, I don't think you have much of a choice in the matter," Hasook explained. With a raised eyebrow, he added, "Unless you want to work for the triads for the rest of your life?"

Mako stared at him flatly for a few moments before he asked, "So you know about that, huh? How'd you find out?"

"Not your business," Hasook said coldly. Easing up on his hostility, he said, "Let's cut to the chase- I supply the funds and my waterbending, you guys fill in the rest. Fifty-fitty split of the profits. Is it a deal or not?"

Mako briefly weighed his choices again, then reached across the table to shake hands with the waterbender. "You got a deal, Hasook," he nodded.

"Glad to hear it," the other boy grinned. "I'll make the preparations and get us some equipment. Do you happen to know a gym that we can use?"

"We can use old man Toza's place," Mako answered, "He's got a soft spot for Bolin."

"Who doesn't?" Hasook chuckled. "Hey, Mako?" he added before the other boy could take off to tell Bolin the news.

"What's up?" he asked as he turned around.

"You're gonna have the responsibility of team captain," the blue-eyed boy said.

Mako blinked a couple of times with surprise before he asked, "Any particular reason why? I thought…"

"Yeah, I'm still mad about you and Bolin ditching me when we were kids," Hasook said. "And I know it was your call. But that's the same reason I know you'll be the better pick for captain- you make decisions as fast as you can throw a fireball, and the team needs someone who can do that if we're gonna have a shot at the tournament."

"All right…" Mako said, still a bit uncertain. He hadn't been expecting that to come from Hasook of all people. "If you say so."

"All right, get out of here," Hasook told him. "See you next week."

"Yeah, see you," Mako muttered. As he walked away, he thought, _Well… That went a lot better than I thought._

* * *

Bolin was ecstatic to become a part of a real probending team- his dream was coming to life after all. Similarly, Hasook felt a sense of adventure that had not stirred inside of him since their escapades as children. Mako was just glad to see Bolin not having to force a happy exterior for one of the few times in their lives- the young earthbender was actually excited to be doing this.

Though Hasook insisted that bygones be bygones, there was still some kind of unexplained tension between him and Mako. Still, since there was more to be gained from them working together instead of arguing over their childhood bitterness, they were able to maintain a successful coworker's relationship.

It helped that Hasook delivered what he promised. On the designated day, Mako and Bolin met him at Toza's gym located in the arena where the probending championship was held. He was waiting with combat gear, practice tanks filled with water and earth disks, as well as multiple targets to practice on. He even had the paperwork lined up that would make them official competitors in the upcoming preliminary matches.

The pre-qualifier matches would take place a month from then, and they would last for two weeks. Each team would fight in a series of matches until sixteen of them had won enough games- five, to be precise- that would earn them a place in the championship. They could opt to fight up to every other day, but that meant more entrance fees, something even Hasook couldn't afford. He explained that he had managed to secure them a total of six matches, which meant that if they wanted to secure a shot at the title of probending champions, they would have to secure those five wins before the two weeks were up- and with no more than a single loss to their team.

Those odds definitely set the young men on edge, but Bolin had enough confidence for the three of them.

"We got this, guys!" he had said cheerily. "All we gotta do is train hard, eat hard, sleep hard, and win hard! Oh, and believe hard." He added the last part with a goofy grin and a flex of his thick biceps. Despite themselves, Mako and Hasook couldn't help but laugh at his antics.

The only thing missing from the forms was a team name.

"Can't call you out if you don't got a name, kids," Toza had grumbled. By this time, he was a gray old man with a beer belly, but still possessing muscles in his legs and arms that would be the envy of a lot of bodybuilders. "So what's it gonna be?"

"Ooh! Ooh!" Bolin said excitedly as he held up Pabu. "How about…"

* * *

"Introducing themselves to Republic City for the first time, the Fire Ferrets!" The announcer's voice rang throughout the arena, stirring an excited applause from the audience as they looked down at the newest competitors in their favorite sport. In the center of the arena built to seat about fifty thousand was a lengthy hexagonal field split into red and blue sides that was suspended over deep a water pit. Four of the sides were barred by elastic ropes to prevent players from falling over the side of the competitor's battleground, but the back edge, the smallest in length of the six sides, had no such protection. If one was hit off the platform that way, the water was the only thing waiting for them down below.

Each side was divided into three sections marked by silver lines that doubled as grates with running water under them. This was both to mark the zones of the field and to allow waterbenders easy access to their element. Ice was not permitted during the match, nor were water blasts that were sustained for more than a full second. Also forbidden for both water and earth benders was using any materials from a zone that your team was not in control of.

Dotting the playing field were hollow tubes that held disks made of stone for the earthbenders to utilize. You could only use one disk from each tube at a time, so the more territory that a team controlled, the more ammunition an earthbender had available to them.

Firebenders had no limits on their element other than their own stamina, but like waterbenders, they could not use torrents of their power- it had to be in bursts or else they would receive a penalty that would send them back one zone. For obvious reasons, lightning was not a permissible tool in probending matches.

The goal of the game was for each team to force their opponents back as far as possible on the arena floor. There were three rounds per match, each one lasting a minute with thirty-second rest periods in between. The team that had gained the most ground at the end of each round would be declared the victors of that match. Two wins meant victory over the other team, but if one team managed to force every one of their opponents into the water via the unfenced section, it would mean an automatic win, even if they were losing overall. However, knocking people over the edge where there _were_ ropes would result in another penalty.

It was through the section lacking the guards that the new team stepped onto the platform once the extendable bridge had finished carrying them from the locker room out into the open lights of the stadium.

Dressed in white and red, the three young men waved to their viewers for the first time with varying expressions. Bolin was eating up the attention, throwing smiles and waves in every direction- something that many of the people in the crowd found endearing. Hasook regarded them all respectfully with a polite wave of his hand and a slight bow to his mother where she sat in the crowd, who had chosen to attend the event despite her dislike of Mako and Bolin.

But the one that caught the most attention- especially from the young ladies of the city- was the team captain, Mako. Tall and carrying himself with confidence, he regarded his surroundings with a cool, collected composure.

Already waiting near the center of the field on the blue side was their first opposing team, the Cabbage Corp Platypus Bears. They consisted of two men and one woman, all of them in their early twenties. Their leader was the earthbender, a short, wiry man with keen gray-green eyes. The firebender of the team was the woman, getting prepared on her leader's right side, while the waterbender took a ready stance on his left.

"Ready guys?" Mako asked as he settled into his own fighting pose.

"Ready to win!" Bolin grinned as he put his fists up.

"Ready," Hasook said crisply, his entire focus on the fight about to take place.

"Players, on my signal!" the referee called out from his exclusive platform suspended above and to the side of the field. From there, he had an unobstructed view of the match which would allow him to make quick and certain calls on foul play.

He blew a shrill note on his whistle, and the match began.

The Fire Ferrets immediately went on the offensive, their speed surprising both the audience and the Platypus Bears. Mako blasted the other team captain twice, first in the leg to make him stumble, then in the abdomen to send him sprawling.

The waterbender tried to come to his leader's defense, but Bolin had him covered already. Stamping his foot, he summoned two disks to float on either side of him. One blocked a flaming burst from the enemy firebender while he mimed a straight punch to send the other disk flying into the waterbender's chest, knocking the wind out of him.

Hasook dealt with the Bear's firebender with three moves. The first action was a water whip that stung her arm, distracting her. The second was a burst that knocked her down to the ground, followed by another blast that sent her rolling back into zone two. A red light and a buzzing sound emanated from the line between the two areas, indicating that she was confined to that area until she could either knock one of the Fire Ferrets back, or her own team could press on to advance into the next zone.

Up above, the commentator congratulated the team on their speedy gain on the upper hand. He was also speaking into the radio systems that broadcasted all over the city to those that did not have the privilege of attending the live event.

"Nice work, Hasook," Mako said as he ducked a stone disk aimed at his arm.

"Thanks," he said in response. Sparing a quick glance to the side, he called out, "Bolin, left!"

"Got it!" the young earthbender said as he countered a water ball. Stamping his foot again, he used a reverse slapping kick technique that sent three disks in the direction of the waterbender. He dodged two of them, but Bolin had timed it so that the last disk was just slightly behind the others, and it caught his target square in the gut. It didn't send him back into the next zone, but he definitely looked like he wasn't going to be putting up much of a fight for the remainder of the round.

"Nice shot, bro!" Mako grinned. "Now help Hasook out."

"I'm fi- not fine!" Hasook grunted as he was struck in the left arm by a disk. Fortunately the padding in his combat suit blunted the force behind the hit, but it was still going to be pretty sore until he could be seen by a healer.

"I gotcha!" Bolin said as he slid under Mako while the older brother backflipped to give him room to come to Hasook's defense. The waterbender regained his footing and waited until Bolin moved to the side before lashing out with a water whip that smacked the earthbender's arm before he could throw another punch.

Before either one of the brothers could press this advantage, the bell went off, signaling that the round was over. Looking up across from where the commentator's booth was located, the Fire Ferrets saw four translucent pillars sitting above the crowds. Even as they gazed at it, one of them lit up red, indicating that the first round was their win.

"Round one goes to the rookies, the Fire Ferrets!" the announcer confirmed as the crowd cheered for the young team.

"Yeah-hah!" Bolin crowed. "Our first round, and we won!"

"Take it easy, Bo," Mako told him. "We still got two rounds to go before we can call it a win." Turning to Hasook, who was clutching his injured arm, he frowned and asked, "How bad is it?"

"It's gonna hurt for a while," Hasook scowled as he lowered his other arm. "But I can keep going. I'm just glad it wasn't my right arm."

"All right, we'll try to cover for you," Mako said. "Just do your best, all right?"

"Got it, captain," Hasook rolled his eyes. "Let's get back to it."

They took their positions again, eyeing their opponents carefully. Mako knew that Hasook's injury would not have gone unnoticed by the Bears, so they would have to be extra careful in their defense from now on.

The bell sounded, signaling the start of round two, and both teams reacted immediately. This time it was clear that the other team was more prepared for the rookies' maneuvers, because the two brothers found themselves quickly wedged into a corner, forcing Hasook to dodge the attacks from the fire bender on his own, and having very limited success. Within ten seconds, he had been blasted back into zone two, and the Platypus Bears weren't letting up.

"Mako, go!" Bolin grunted as he countered two water bursts and a disk. The first water pulse he blocked with his shoulder alone, the other projectiles with two stone disks.

Mako didn't bother wasting time trying to argue, instead throwing himself forward in a summersault to leap over another disk and beneath a fire blast. He shot to his feet to interpose himself between Hasook and his attackers, balancing lightly on the balls of his feet.

The earth and firebenders let loose a flurry of attacks right at him, forcing his hardwired instincts to kick in as he ducked and wove around their elemental projectiles, each one missing him by a handbreadth.

Hasook took advantage of their renewed focus on Mako to shoot a water jet up and over to crash into the chest of the earthbender on the other team, knocking him off-balance. Mako saw this, ducked a water blast, and then fired two shots that knocked the opposing team leader back into zone two.

Before he could feel accomplished though, the firebender from the other team finally managed to get past his evasive maneuvering and knock him flat, right beside Hasook in the second zone. This meant that Bolin was the last man standing in zone one, so if he was knocked back too, it would mean that the Platypus Bears could advance onto their side of the field.

Fortunately, the bell rung just in time to save them from that situation, and the three boys sighed with relief. The second pillar above the crowd lit up blue, representing the victory of the Bears for the second round. Echoing the sign of victory was the announcer, his voice resounding through the arena thanks to his microphone. Since the Fire Ferrets had only managed to push back one of their opposing competitors as opposed to their two, the win went to the Bears. Mako scowled at the scoreboard, but he quickly turned his attention to his teammates to discuss the game plan.

"Okay, playing defense only isn't gonna get us anywhere," he frowned. "Any thoughts?"

"I'll make a sacrifice play," Hasook said in a low voice.

"What?" Mako and Bolin asked simultaneously.

"My arm is holding me back too much," he muttered. "You two are way faster than me anyways- use the time where they'll be pushing me back to pick them off one by one. It's our only chance at winning this."

"Not unless you're completely sure," Mako frowned. He didn't like the idea of making a sacrifice play, even if was Hasook that was taking the hit.

"Unless you've got another idea in the next five seconds, I'm sure," Hasook said sourly. "Just… make it count, okay?"

"Okay, will do," Bolin nodded seriously. "We got this, bro."

"Okay," Mako said reluctantly as the referee called the rest period as finished. "Just don't take any unnecessary risks."

"Same to you," the other boy said as he rolled his shoulder, trying to keep it loose.

"Players, are you ready?!" the referee called out before blowing his whistle.

"Bolin, sandstorm!" Mako ordered as the other team let loose with their elemental powers, most of the shots headed for Hasook, who grimaced and prepared himself for what was going to be a number of painful impacts. Sure enough, he was knocked right back into zone two, though he just barely managed to avoid being flung to the third area.

Mako and Bolin were concerned by this, of course, but if they didn't gain some ground soon, they would lose the match.

"On it!" Bolin shouted as he stamped his foot, casting a trio of disks upwards. He sent them flying towards the Bears, but not directly at any of them. He sent them in seemingly random directions, but it was a pattern that Mako knew well.

In the instant between Bolin summoning the earth and the disks crossing the line, Mako's keen eyes studied where his opponents were standing and calculating how far they were likely to step back. _Got it_ , he thought to himself even as he brought his fists up in preparation.

'Sandstorm' was their street maneuver for when they were outnumbered and needed a distraction for their opponents. Even as the stones crossed the line, Mako shot off three fire blasts that connected solidly with the stones, causing a massive dust cloud to billow out and cover the blue side of the arena, obscuring the vision of the Platypus Bears and causing them each to take an involuntary step back.

Going off of memory alone, Mako spammed three more shots, one for each of the other players. He was rewarded by the satisfying sound of the buzzer going off three times, indicating that each one of the Bears had been knocked back at least one zone. Further confirmation appeared at his feet when the line in the middle of the arena lit up green, giving the Ferrets the clearance to advance into enemy territory.

The dust began to settle, so it was only a bit difficult to see the Bears trying to get to their feet, disoriented and winded. Mako and Bolin wasted no time in advancing with enough fireballs and earth disks to dish out in spades.

Hasook came up behind them, leaping high enough to lash out with a sweeping kick that flattened the earthbender, the one that had injured his arm. Another disk from Bolin, and the Bear's team leader was knocked back into zone three.

"Nice job, Hasook," Mako said aside to his teammate.

"Let's bring it home," the other boy said, his mouth in a grim line.

For the next few seconds the Bears held out valiantly, but in the end, the Fire Ferrets would not be denied. A series of shots from Mako and Bolin finally pummeled the earthbender over the edge of the arena, sending him down into the deep water below.

The crowd roared its approval for the young underdogs, encouraging them to finish the fight strong. Water, fire, and earth all collided and struck across the space between the players, neither side willing to give ground.

Before things could reach a definitive conclusion for the Ferrets, the bell sounded, and the round was over. The remaining five players slowly lowered their guard, breathing hard from the exertion of the last few minutes. This didn't stop them from looking up at the scoreboard, however.

The hard work and prayers of the Fire Ferrets were answered when the third column lit up red, showing that the third round belonged to them. And since they had claimed two out of the three victories…

"Claiming their first match in victory is the fantastic Fire Ferrets!" the announcer exclaimed. The crowd roared its approval, and the three young men grinned at each other before turning to acknowledge the people around them.

Somewhere in the stands, someone screamed, "No! _Not my Cabbage Bears!_ " Other than that, though, most of the crowd seemed ecstatic.

Their approval only seemed to double when they all took off their helmets, allowing their faces to be seen clearly by the audience- much to the delight of more than one young lady in the crowd.

"Hear that?" Bolin grinned at Mako. "Told you they'd love this hairdo."

"Uh-huh," Mako rolled his eyes before turning away to look up and see a group of girls giggling and blushing as they pointed at him. Deciding to indulge himself a little, he flashed a confident grin at them, plus a wink for good measure.

The response was instantaneous, the giggles turning into shrieks and enthusiastic waving, prompting him to give them a small wave of his own before turning back to get a bear hug from his brother. "Whoa!" he exclaimed in surprise.

"Ha ha!" Bolin crowed. "We did it! We're actually gonna do this!"

Mako was tempted to mention that they still needed four more wins to get themselves a slot in the championship, but he decided against it. They had worked hard, after all- they could afford to celebrate tonight.

"That was a good match," Hasook said as he turned to be a part of the group. "Nice moves, you guys."

"Way to hold out like a champ, man!" Bolin said as he bumped fists with the other boy. "Not many people coulda taken a hit like that and kept going, but you did!"

"Thanks Bolin," Hasook chuckled. Turning to Mako, he said, "Thanks… for trying to shield me, anyways."

"Don't mention it," the firebender grinned slightly. "What do you guys say we collect our winnings go ahead to celebrate somewhere?"

"Ooh! Ooh!" Bolin exclaimed. "There's this great Water Tribe restaurant down the block from our apartment! It's my favorite place of all time to eat- can we go there? Please?"

"Water Tribe grub sounds pretty good to me," Hasook nodded. "I'll go."

"I can't think of anything else, so I guess I'm in too," Mako shrugged. "Lead the way, Bo."

"Yeah-hah!" Bolin shouted as he jumped in the air. "This is the best night ever! Nothing could ruin this!"

* * *

They were about a half-mile from their apartment complex when the noticed it- the black cloud of smoke rising from the building that they called home.

"Oh no…" Bolin said, his eyes wide. Without a word between them, Mako and Bolin took off running through the crowd, pushing past bystanders that were watching in shock. Hasook was initially taken by surprise, but he quickly followed them.

"Whoa," Mako grimaced as they finally came to the block adjacent to theirs. The building was belching black smoke into the night air through every open window, many of the same openings spitting out sparks that came from the flames within.

"Where are the firefighters?" Hasook asked no one in particular.

"On their way," said a man standing off to the side. "But I don't think they're going to make it in time to keep the building from collapsing."

Even as they watched, a young woman stumbled out of the front door, hacking and coughing as she fell on the sidewalk, scraping her arm and leg. Bolin dashed forward, Mako close behind him so that they could pick the woman up and get her further away from the building.

"Hey, can you hear me?" Mako asked. "Are you with us?"

"Yeah-" she started to say before exploding into another coughing fit. Once they were a safe distance from the structure, they sat her down, Bolin patting her back to try and help expel the smoke that she had inhaled.

"Is there anyone else in there?" Mako asked, concerned. "Do you know?"

The lady was still incapable of speaking without triggering another coughing fit, so she nodded a couple of times to confirm that there were. The two brothers looked back at the building, frowns on their faces.

"Bolin, stay here," Mako ordered as he stood up to go.

"Wait, you can't go in there by yourself!" Bolin argued.

"Neither one of you can go in there!" Hasook said, eyes wide. "You won't last a minute!"

"I can bend the flames out of my way, so I can try to find anyone that was left behind," Mako countered as he took off his scarf to re-tie it around his mouth to filter out the smoke. "Bolin, I need you to stay here where it's safe- and I'm not asking." With that, he took off, right into the burning building.

"Idiot!" Hasook called after him. "Let the fire department take care of this!"

"No time, and someone needs to have his back," Bolin said with a frown creasing his thick eyebrows as he tore off part of his shirt and wrapped it around his mouth. "Stay with the lady, I'm going in." Then he too was gone, vanishing into the smoke and fire.

"You're both crazy!" Hasook shouted after them.

* * *

The smoke was worse than Mako had thought it would be- he could barely see in the building, and his eyes were already stinging. Nonetheless, he pressed on, searching the first floor by kicking down every door that wasn't open to check for survivors. As he went, he calmed any flames that were in his path, but he knew that wouldn't buy the building- or himself- much time.

At one of the last rooms, he found a young pair of kids, a brother and a sister. "Hey!" he shouted, his voice muffled by the scarf. "You okay?!"

"I'm scared!" the little girl cried.

"It's okay, I'm gonna get you out!" he told them. "Come on, I'll lead the way!"

"But there's fire everywhere!" the little boy wailed. "I got burned!" He showed Mako his arm, which had a long red stripe running down it.

"Don't worry, he said as he walked over to them. "I'll make the fire go away, but we need to go right now." The children reluctantly got out of the bathtub to follow him, so he scooped up the little girl in his arms and said, "Don't breathe in the smoke! Breathe through the scarf!" He passed her one of the loose ends of his red scarf, which she pressed to her mouth as he instructed.

"Use your shirt!" he told the brother. "Grab onto me, and don't let go, no matter what!"

"Okay!" the boy nodded as he slipped his shirt over his mouth. They backed out into the hallway, which was already aflame again.

"All right, all right!" he said as the boy and girl froze up in fear. "I'll make them go away, don't worry!" Waving his free hand at the fire, he forced the blaze to settle down to leave a relatively clear path for them. "Okay, time to run!" he told them.

Jogging as fast as he could with the little boy holding onto him, he headed for the main lobby. Just before they could reach it though, the ceiling above them cracked and began to collapse. Without thinking, Mako threw the boy under him and dove on top to try and protect both of the children as best he could.

Fortunately, it didn't come to that.

" _Hyah!_ " A familiar shout sounded through the hallway, followed by a pillar of earth beneath the floor shooting up to block the debris. "You guys okay?!"

"Bolin?!" Mako asked as he got to his feet, the children both crying again. "What're you doing here?!"

"Same thing as you!" the earthbender replied. "Come on, let's go!"

"I told you to stay outside!" Mako shouted. "Never mind, did you check the second floor?"

"No time!" Bolin shook his head. "The fire's getting worse up there!"

"Take these two out to safety," Mako told his brother. "I'm not leaving until I've checked everywhere I can!"

"What good does that do if you get killed?!" Bolin shouted.

"This isn't a debate, Bolin, _get moving!_ " Mako shouted angrily. "These kids need your help, now go!"

"Fine!" Bolin shouted. "But I'm coming back for you!"

"Don't worry, I'm not staying any longer than I have to," Mako answered as he handed the little girl over to Bolin as he added, "Go with him, he'll keep you safe!"

"Come on kids, it'll be okay!" Bolin said in resignation as he held onto her, the little boy moving to follow him. It didn't matter what he told his brother- he was going to stay if he had made up his mind. _Just get out of here alive…_

* * *

Mako quickly found himself up in the second floor, where the smoke and fire was even worse than below. _All the more reason to make this quick,_ he thought as he kicked down the first door he came across. A lot of them were open, but he didn't check those- it was more likely that the people in those rooms had already vacated the area.

He was halfway down the hall when the floor beneath him began to crack and cave in. Making a desperate leap forward, he managed to clear the area before it crumbled and crashed into the floor below.

 _Well, escape just got more complicated,_ he grimaced. _Better make this fast._

He slammed open three more doors before he found someone- an old man that looked to be in his sixties. He was lying still on the floor, and at first he thought that he might be dead, but he went over to check on him anyway. He was lying on the floor face-down, so Mako rolled him onto his back and put his ear next to his mouth while checking his wrist for a pulse. It was hard to tell over the sound of the flames and the crumbling building, but he felt a weak pulse and heard the sound of shallow breathing. Pulling back, he noticed a mid-length cut on the old man's forehead.

 _He must have panicked when the fire started and hit his head on something, but he's still alive_ , he thought grimly as he shook him by the shoulders. "Hey!" he shouted. "Wake up!"

The old man stirred groggily and made an inarticulate sound as he cracked his eyes open to look up at his rescuer. "I'm gonna get us out of here!" Mako grunted as he undid his scarf from around his mouth. As he placed it over the man's face, he told him, "Breathe through this, okay?!" He accidentally inhaled some smoke and fell into a violent coughing fit as he tried to speak to him.

"Come on," Mako grunted as he lifted the man to his feet long enough for him to sling him over his back so that he could hold on with his arms around his neck while he grabbed his legs. The elder felt somewhat limp, so he couldn't tell if he was even conscious at this point, but it didn't matter- it was time to leave.

He turned to exit the room, but another rumble echoed through the hall, and suddenly, there was no hallway in front of him. _Great,_ he scowled his eyes watering. Blinking away the tears from the heat and smoke, he turned back to notice the window on the wall. _Better than being cooked to death,_ he thought resignedly.

He tried to open the window, but the heat had sealed it shut. Grabbing the bedsheets, he wrapped part of it around his fist and punched out the glass. The rush of air created a new blaze in the room which would have fried them both, if not Mako's firebending. Even with the protection, he felt something stab into his hand, though it wasn't too bad. Yanking off the bedsheet, and the shard of glass with it, he stuck his head through the opening and shouted, "HEY! Up here!"

The fire had damaged his eyesight temporarily, so he could barely see anything in the evening light, save for a few lamppost lights, and some other points that flashed red, accompanied by a siren. "Hold on, kid, we're coming!" he heard someone shout, though he couldn't tell from where exactly.

A second later, he heard a zipper-like sound, followed by a metallic clank on his right. The same thing happened on his left, followed by the sounds of footsteps rapidly approaching. Normally that would be impossible, seeing as he was sticking his head out of the window on the second story of a building, but he could guess what was going on.

 _Metalbenders?_ he thought.

His suspicion was proven correct when he heard a deeper-yet-clearly-female voice say, "Don't worry kid. We're the police- we'll get you out of here."

Metalbenders made up the bulk of Republic City's police force- if you possessed the talent, you were basically guaranteed a spot in the Police Academy, if one should choose to apply. They all wore lightweight armor that was capable of firing off metallic ropes with pointed ends, which not only allowed them to bind their targets with ease, but to grant them the ability to ascend or descend rapidly on and off buildings- just as they had done now.

"Take him first," Mako wheezed as he took the old man off of his back and started to pass him through the window. "He's barely breathing, and he needs medical attention fast."

"I've got the old man," said the female officer. "Take the kid, Marshall."

"You got it Chief," said a male voice, coming from his right side.

As soon as he felt the weight of the man leave his arms, there was another high-pitched buzzing sound, accompanied by the sounds of someone leaping away. Then a strong grip was placed on Mako's arm, along with the words, "Come on, kid. Nice and easy, that's it." The officer managed to guide him halfway out the window before they heard a series of rumbles, and the building began to shake violently.

"It's coming down!" someone shouted from below.

"Okay, let's go!" the officer said as he grabbed Mako up by his torso, leaving his legs and arms dangling in empty space. The next instant, the officer jumped off of the burning building, leaving the boy with a strange sense of weightlessness before the metalbender fired another cable from his arm to swing them down in a more controlled descent before touching down on the ground.

Mako immediately collapsed on the ground, coughing harshly as his body tried to expel the smoke that he had inhaled. His muscles were shaking badly, both from his exertions and the adrenaline that had been pumping through his body. He was aware of the police officer asking him if he needed help, but that's when the building came crashing down, the sound echoing through the city streets for several blocks.

"The old man…" he said once the noise had settled down. "Is he gonna make it?"

"We'll get someone to look at him right away, just try to keep pressure on that cut for right now," the officer told him. Apparently the bleeding coming from the wound was enough to get his attention

"Wait…" Mako said, but the officer was already gone.

* * *

"We made a safe landing, and the healers are seeing to that man now," said the police officer that had helped with their escape. Mako's eyesight was starting to return, but his vision was still obscured spots that prevented him from seeing anyone clearly. "That was pretty risky, running in there like you did," she added with a mild tone of reproach. "But it also took a lot of guts. Nice work, but leave it to us next time."

He went to answer, but he was interrupted by another coughing fit. He felt an armored hand patting his back firmly, trying to help him expel the smoke, but whose it was, he couldn't tell.

When he could speak again, he said to one of the closer human-shaped blurs, "Hey…? Can I…? Get my scarf back?"

"Where is it?" another officer asked him as the female officer walked away.

"I gave it… _hack_ … to the old man so that he could breathe through the smoke," he answered. "It was my dad's…"

"Stay right here," said the officer. "I need to get back to my station, but I'll tell the paramedics to give it back." Then he too left.

"Mako!" he heard a familiar voice call out. He heard rather than saw Bolin run up to him and kneel next to him while placing a hand on his shoulder. "You okay?!" he asked worriedly.

"A little banged up, but I'll be fine," he said hoarsely. "Did you manage to get those kids out?"

"Yeah, they're with the cops right now," Bolin replied. "They were pretty scared, but they seemed like they'll be okay."

"Good to hear," Mako said before he coughed a few times. At least it seemed like he was starting to breathe a little easier. "Where's Hasook?"

"Back with most of the crowd," Bolin answered. After a brief pause, he said, "I guess we're gonna need a new place to crash, huh?"

* * *

They would later learn that the fire had started when an Agni Kai member crossed a rival in the Triple Threat Triads, and a fight had quickly broken out. The end result was the burned-down building, dozens of injuries, at least ten people in the hospital, and three dead.

This only made Mako even more determined to distance himself and Bolin from the crime syndicates of the city. He told Bolin- in no uncertain circumstances- to stay away from the Triads from then on.

Tensions between him and Hasook ran higher after that, though they still managed to maintain a working relationship during practice and in the probending matches. Still, he sensed that things were going to come to a head between the two of them eventually.

 _I just hope we can make it through the season,_ he thought. _Otherwise our chances at the championship is completely shot._

* * *

 **Aang: What a tragic story...**

 **Mataras: To quote an old friend of yours, 'Don't worry- it gets better'.**

 **Roku: Who are you calling old?**

 **Mataras: Well, if we're going by the age of the avatar spirit, you're like what, ten thousand years old?**

 **Wan: Nine thousand, nine hundred-ninety-nine if we're gonna be specific.**

 **Mataras: You really want to argue semantics over one year? ...Wait a minute, why are you here?!**

 **Wan: Hey, I'm an Avatar, too. In fact, I feel like I could ask you the same question- you're not part of the cycle!**

 **Mataras: I wrote this story!**

 **Kuruk: You didn't come up with it.**

 **Mataras: Again, are we really arguing over such trivial things? I put up disclaimers already!**

 **Kyoshi: Calm yourself, Red Swordsman. There is nothing to be so upset about.**

 **Yang-Chen: I like him.**

 **Mataras: Aren't airbenders supposed to be non-aggressive?**

 **Aang: She's... an exception.**

 **Mataras: Moving on, the next chapter (release date TBD) will likely surprise many of our viewers. It will be featuring another origin story.**

 **Roku: May I inquire who it is? It seems that you have a very good team put together.**

 **Mataras: Hey, every Team Avatar needs a non-bender- right Sokka?**

 **Sokka: I hate you.**

 **Kuruk: Hey! Avatars and authors only!**

 **Wan: Next time- The Heiress.**

* * *

Legacy of Korra as told by JoshthePoser

"So uh..." Bolin asked Othniel. "What jokes are you gonna make this month?"

"Honestly... I don't have anything funny to say about this one," Othniel answered. "I mean... orphans and burning buildings aren't really good material for politically correct jokes."

"Was that a joke?" Bolin asked.

"Maybe."


	4. The Heiress

**A/N: Hello everybody! It's time for the chapter that I know many of you have been looking forward to- the segment where we discover Asami's backstory for the Legacy of Korra!**

 **For those of you that have pledged ten dollars a month or more on my P_a_t_r_e_o_n, you already got most of this chapter a week ago. This is now the completed version, so you'll finally figure out how we get some closure out of this. (more on that in the omake for those who didn't know)**

 **Without further ado, let's get the ball rolling!**

* * *

The Heiress

The rumbling of the train vibrated through the seat upon which a young woman sat, sending tremors all the way through to her hands, which grasped a book she was reading. Or at least, _trying_ to read. Sighing to herself, Asami slapped the book shut and set it down on the table in front of her in defeat. Even in the first-class luxury carriage, she didn't feel comfortable where she was.

Asami was a beautiful girl, with long, rippling black hair and fair skin with green eyes that her father had said matched her mother's. Given her status, she also wore fine clothing and makeup that highlighted her already-abundant good looks.

 _I just wish that there was a better way to pass the time,_ she thought to herself as she gazed out the window to see the countryside speeding past. Normally she loved reading, but today her heart just wasn't in it.

She was on her way to Republic City for the first time in almost ten years, having spent the last decade at a private academy in Ba Sing Se. Her impending arrival in her home city was filling her with equal measures of anxiety and curiosity.

Her interest came from the thoughts of what might have changed in the last few years; what kind of new buildings might there be, what were the people like, and how the economy was doing.

Asami had studied a great deal of economics, mechanics, and business administration during her time in the Earth Kingdom, partly because of her early upbringing, and partly because she took to it naturally. In fact, she had already landed a job at a local construction company as an overseer for some of the new railroads that would be connecting the capital to other places in the kingdom, like Omashu and Kyoshi Island. Though she supposed it was only natural, given her family's history.

Of course, this was also the main contributor to her anxiety. It had been some time since she and her father stood face-to-face, though they wrote the occasional letter to one another. Still, even that method of communication had been strained and plagued with awkwardness ever since he had sent her away to the boarding school.

When she had received word after her graduation ceremony that her father, Hiroshi Sato, wanted her to come back home, her first instinct had been to rebel. _He's gone out of his way to keep me at arm's length for most of my life,_ she had thought bitterly. _Now he wants me back all of a sudden?_

Still, something in her heart told her to make the trip home. He _was_ her father, after all- they were family. She decided that maybe she should hear out whatever he had to say. Besides, she reasoned, she could always leave if things didn't go well.

It didn't make her apprehension ease up in the slightest, though.

"Miss Sato?" The stewardess' voice nearly caused Asami to jump out of her skin. "Sorry, Ma'am, but I just wanted to ask if you needed anything to drink? We can make some warm tea if you need something to calm your nerves."

Asami took a couple of seconds to compose her answer before saying, "Yes, that would be nice. I'm sorry for reacting the way I did. I'm just… nervous."

"Do you need someone to talk to about it?" the lady asked, seemingly concerned. "My break is in a few minutes, and I'd be happy to sit and listen if nothing else."

Asami smiled a bit at the kind gesture, but replied, "I appreciate the offer, but just some tea will do. It's not really something that can be talked out."

"All right, ma'am," the lady nodded. "I'll be right back." Then she was gone, and Asami was alone with her thoughts again.

 _I shouldn't be this nervous,_ she thought as she rubbed her arms as if to ward off a chill. _Maybe Dad's not really the problem like I've been thinking…_

* * *

The trip to Republic City took about another hour, but it seemed like an eternity to the girl. The tea that she forced herself to drink helped settle her rattled nerves a bit, but it did nothing for the pit in her stomach. By the time the train pulled into Republic City's main station, she was feeling light-headed from anxiety.

 _I can do this,_ she thought to herself. _Just a quick visit, then I can go back to Ba Sing Se and get started with my life there… I can do this._

Once the train had come to a complete stop, she stood up and grabbed her purse to sling it over her shoulder. Walking a trifle unsteadily, she managed to make it to the exit, where a bellboy was waiting with her travel bag. Accepting the luggage with a polite 'thank you' and a tip, she made her way off of the train and into the busy hub that was the Republic City train station. There were people everywhere, both coming and going, young and old, wealthy and middle-class.

It was similar to Ba Sing Se, she thought. The big difference was that instead of a majority of Earth Kingdom natives, there were people from the three nations everywhere. Their garments were definitely of a wider variety, that was certain.

 _Okay, Dad must have sent a valet to come pick me up_ , she thought as she started walking towards the exit. _I guess I'll just look for a sign with my name on it…?_

Just as she was about to reach the main exit, she heard a voice cry, "Asami!"

Startled, she turned around in search of the speaker. _Did I miss the sign?_ She wondered as she looked around anew for the valet.

"Asami!" the speaker exclaimed again. This time, she saw him- a heavyset man with a thick moustache, salt-and-pepper hair, dressed smart in a red jacket and a white button-up shirt. A pair of glasses framed intelligent reddish-brown eyes, set atop a larger nose that rested above a bright, winning smile. He was shouldering his way past people in the crowd, making his way to her as fast as his legs would carry him.

Her eyes widened as she recognized the man. "Dad?" she asked in surprise as he came within reaching distance. "You-?"

"It's so good to see you, sweetheart!" he laughed as he seized her in an undignified hug- hardly something that someone would expect of the C.E.O. of one of the world's biggest manufacturing companies. "You look amazing- just like your mother!" He stepped back, holding her at arm's length as he gave her another huge smile. "Welcome back to Republic City, Asami."

"H-Hi, Dad," she finally managed to say, her mind still moving at a hundred miles an hour. "What are you doing here? I thought that you would have sent somebody to come get me?" As soon as she said it, she realized how rude it sounded, but her father seemed to take it in stride.

"Come now, can't a father come to greet his princess?" he chuckled lightly. "Once I got your letter that said you'd be coming in today, I went ahead and cleared my schedule so that I could come get you myself!"

"Well, thank you," she managed to smile back a bit. "That's very sweet of you- thanks for coming to see me."

"No, no," he shook his head empathetically. "Thank _you_ for coming to visit! I know you had mentioned getting a job in the capital of the Earth Kingdom, and I was afraid that I wasn't going to be able to see you for a long time!"

 _It wouldn't have been any longer than the time you kept away from me,_ she thought bitterly, but she swallowed the words before they could come out. Instead, she said, "Well, I guess we should get going to the house, right? I'm sure you have a busy evening with the company since you're here right now."

"What?" he asked, confused. Then his face cleared as he said, "Oh no, no! I must have not explained properly- I didn't just clear my schedule to come and get you- I've taken the full day off!"

Her eyes widened in surprise. This was a far cry from what she had expected of him. "But what about the company…?" she asked, her head feeling like it been dumped in a blender- there was just too much to process right now.

"Hah!" Hiroshi laughed heartily. "I think the stockholders and branch managers can run things without me for one day. I wanted to welcome you myself and make sure that your stay is a good one, sweetheart."

"I…" she said, overwhelmed. "Thanks, Dad."

"You are welcome, Asami," her father smiled again. Reaching for her bag, he grabbed the heavy load and said, "Come on, now. I've got the car waiting for us, and I'd love to show you the house again- I've had some expansions put in since the last time you were here."

Still feeling dumbfounded, Asami followed her father through the crowd, wondering how in the world that this was the same man that had sent her off to boarding school and hardly spoken to her in ten years. Some part of her wondered if he was putting on an act, but that didn't seem right. No, he seemed genuinely happy to welcome her home.

* * *

While they drove home- Asami was surprised to find that Hiroshi had driven himself- her father was eager to hear about her classes, asking many questions, but always waiting patiently for her to finish talking before inquiring about another matter. Since traffic was busy at this time of day, it gave them plenty of time to talk.

She asked him a bit about how the company was doing and how his life had been, but for the most part he would say, "Things with Sato Industries are the same as ever- the bureaucrats argue over who should get profits from what department, and the workers keep wanting more overtime. Sometimes I think about locking myself in my workshop and inventing new products simply for the sake of the joy that comes from creating something new. Spirits know it would save me many headaches."

Asami couldn't help but laugh a little bit at that. As an intern at the company she was going to be working for, she'd already had to deal with the politics that came from the arguments between shareholders and employees. "Seems like it's impossible to find a balance between fair wages and profitable investments," she said.

"My thoughts exactly," her father chuckled. "Employees seem to think that we're simply loading all of the money in an account where we'll never use it! I just wish that there was some way to help them see that most of our profits go back into the company itself, and not lining our pockets."

"Don't think that's a problem that can be solved in one day, Dad," Asami replied. "Besides, last I checked, most employees that work at Sato industries are pretty happy with the way things are going. You're selling your work conditions short."

"Ha!" the older Sato laughed merrily. "I see you've been doing your homework."

"A little bit," Asami admitted, wanting to join in his uplifting attitude, but still feeling that the matter of their years spent apart should be addressed. Still, now hardly seemed like the time to bring the matter up. "I guess I wanted to know some of what was going on here."

"Hmm, yes, I suppose I should have told you more about what was happening in our hometown," Hiroshi said, his countenance darkening a bit for a second. "I would be happy to catch with you up on everything that's happened since you went to Ba Sing Se over dinner. Would that be all right?"

"Uh, sure," she shrugged. "What'd you have in mind?"

"I was going to leave it up to you," he replied. "We could have the chefs make us whatever you'd like at home, or we could be a little adventurous. There's a restaurant that I've been meaning to try called Kwong's Cuisine."

"What's the style supposed to be?" Asami asked, her curiosity piqued.

"That's the thing," Hiroshi grinned. "It's supposedly one of the few restaurants in the city that does the courses from every nation a big favor. They even have traditional Air Nomad food, supposedly courtesy of a few air acolytes that have done some part-time work there."

"That actually sounds pretty cool," Asami nodded, her attention becoming more genuine. "I'd love to try that out."

"I'll book us a reservation this evening," Hiroshi nodded. Then another thought seemed to occur to him, for he turned to her and asked, "Unless you wanted to do it another night? How long were you planning to stay?"

"Two nights," she answered. "I start my job back in Ba Sing Se in four days, so I'd like to make sure I've got everything settled back there."

"Oh," he said, his face falling a little bit. He quickly perked back up again as he said, "Oh well, who am I to stand between my daughter and her new job?"

"Dad, it's okay," she told him. "We can go to the restaurant tonight. I guess you had some other things you'd like to do while I'm here?"

"Actually, yes," he admitted with another grin. "Though I suppose I'll have to cut back on the list a little bit."

"Wait, you had a list?" she asked, almost laughing, feeling a little more light-hearted for some absurd reason.

"Of course!" he nodded enthusiastically. "I was going to take you to the main factory and show you how we've stepped up production, Avatar Aang Island gives tours now, the theater that we used to go to has actually begun to hire good actors, especially for 'Love Amongst Dragons' I've recently begun to grow rather fond of that new sport, probending. It's too bad that the season doesn't start for another few months, otherwise I'd say that we should go watch a match together."

"Really?" she asked, surprised. "I never would have taken you for a probending fan." She had never seen a match in person, but she had read about the championships in the papers, even managing to listen to the last two years' matches over radio with some schoolmates. It wasn't her favorite thing to do, but it was something to have in common with the other students, so she put up with it.

"What can I say?" the older Sato laughed heartily. "An old man's got to have fun somehow, and I must say that there's something about watching people putting everything that they have on the line and coming out on top through their hard work and determination."

"Kind of like you?" Asami asked, the words almost coming out on their own.

"Hmm, I suppose," he nodded to himself. "Though I don't exactly see myself as being able to keep up with all those youngsters." He slapped his rounded belly with another hearty chuckle.

"Do you have a team you prefer?" she asked. "The girls back in the Earth Kingdom like the champions from the last three years, the Wolf-Bats."

Her father grimaced as he said, "They may be the champions, but they're far too… arrogant for my taste. Not to mention, a man should never be prettier than the woman next to him."

Again, Asami had to laugh. "I guess that's true," she grinned. "He _is_ kinda pretty."

"Not as pretty as my wonderful daughter, of course," Hiroshi said kindly. "You've taken after your mother, Asami, and I don't say that lightly."

She knew that it was meant as a compliment, but just like that, she felt her spirits sink down to the pit in her stomach. "Uh…" she mumbled, her face falling. "Thanks."

Hiroshi saw the change in her mood and realized the mistake he had made. "I'm sorry, Sweetie," he said, his expression a pained one. "I didn't mean-"

"It's okay," she said quickly, cutting him off. "I just… Can we talk about something else right now?"

"Of course," he nodded understandingly. "Anything you'd like."

There was a painfully awkward silence between them for several minutes as they drove out of the crowded city suburbs. Once they were out of the noisier parts of the area, Asami asked, "Any changes to the house since I've been gone?"

"Well, not to the interior, no," Hiroshi said, eager to regain a conversation with her. "Though I did have a pool installed a few months ago- the doctor says it's good for my heart to get some exercise every now and again."

"What about on the outside?" she asked, noticing how he had only mentioned the house itself.

"Now that's a different story," he said. "I moved my workshop out of the basement because I had a separate building constructed so I would stop getting clutter everywhere. Poor Klein was working himself ragged trying to clean the carpets of my oil stains."

"Klein is still working at the house?" Asami asked, surprised. "He's been there since I was little."

"Yes, and he was looking forward to seeing you come home," her father smiled again. "I don't think I've ever seen a butler be so expressive before!"

"I can't imagine," she said, remembering the calm, collected, bespectacled man that had practically helped to raise her.

"I think I even saw him _smile_ the other day," Hiroshi joked. "But where was I about the outside…" Ah, yes!" His smile grew even wider as he said, "Remember the open area on the east side of the mansion?"

"Yeah, is that where you put the new workshop?" the girl asked.

"No, that's behind the house," he said as he shook his head. "Actually, I came up with something that I think you'll like a great deal."

"Well don't keep me in suspense," she said with a raised eyebrow. "What'd you do?"

"This will require a bit of context," he said as they rounded a corner that put them on a street that would take them out of the rural area. "See, I was having trouble finding an area to test out the new satomobile models, so…" He grinned mischievously.

She gave him a blank stare for a moment before her eyes widened and she said, "You didn't!"

* * *

"You actually did it," she said, eyes wide at the sight before her.

A racetrack had been constructed next to the house where she had grown up in. Ovular in shape, it was a kilometer in length. Hiroshi had explained that before he started to mass-produce a new model, he would test it against one of the favored cars that had already been released to the public to see which the better of the two was, and to decide if the new prototype needed any modifications.

"What do you think?" Hiroshi asked, pride evident in his voice. "Took us a few months- and far too much paperwork from the city for my liking- but the boys really pulled through for this project."

"You built this because of a mid-life crisis, didn't you?" she asked without even looking at him.

"Yes I did, Asami," he said as his shoulders sagged. "Yes I did."

"Still worth it?" she grinned slightly.

"Every yuon," he smiled back.

* * *

She was surprised to find that the inside of the house was just as she remembered it. Well, it seemed a _little_ smaller since she had grown up, but the estate was by no means a small place. The house on its own could have taken up more than a city block, which wasn't even accounting for the rolling hills surrounding Sato's home.

"Just as you remembered it, right?" Hiroshi said, almost as though he could read her thoughts.

"Yeah," she nodded as she looked around the massive greeting room. The walls were white, as was the floor, though it was mostly covered by a plush red carpet. Two set of stairs led to the upper floor where the bath and bedrooms were. There were paintings of every kind on the walls, as well as expensive vases and the like on display.

"Miss Asami?" a familiar voice asked as its owner entered the room. "Is that you?"

The younger Sato turned towards one of the doors that led to the kitchen area to see Klein, the head household attendant. "Klein!" she smiled broadly as she ran across the room and gave the man a very improper hug.

At first he seemed quite surprised, but after his initial trepidation, he broke his years of staunch belief that a butler should never show emotion towards their masters, and smiled while returning the embrace. "It's good to see you come home, Miss Sato," he said as they pulled apart. "The household has been looking forward to your arrival.

"The whole household, or just you in particular?" Asami teased him.

"I may have played a part in the elevated level of excitement that has settled into the Sato Estate," Klein replied with his more normal, modulated tone, though he still wore a faint grin.

"Well if everyone is so excited, where are they?" Asami wondered, finally realizing that there was a surprising lack of noise in the house for a fully staffed mansion.

"Master Sato urged all but the essential staff to go home early for the day," Klein answered. "He insisted that your home's environment be a peaceful one upon your arrival. The regular household staff shall return in the morning."

"Oh," she said, surprised again at the lengths that her father was going to in order to make her feel comfortable. Looking around again, she murmured, "It almost seems stranger that things aren't busy like they usually are."

"I wholeheartedly agree with you, Miss Sato," Klein nodded, his expression finally settling back into a neutral one. "Seems a little too empty, doesn't it?"

"Yeah," she nodded quietly.

"I've had Klein prepare your old room for your stay, if that's all right," Hiroshi said after a small pause. With a slight grin he added, "Though I did make sure to have it appropriately furnished for a young woman instead of a little girl."

"Thanks," she acknowledged. "I guess it's just usually used as a guest bedroom now?"

"Of course not," Sato said with a slight frown. "That room is yours, Asami. I would never let anyone else use it." She looked at him with surprise, intrigued that he would seem so resilient to the idea. Seeing her face, his expression softened again as he added, "You will always have a home here, Asami."

The girl felt something beginning to build up inside her chest, so she turned away and said, "I'm, umm… I'm going to go freshen up before we go to dinner, okay?"

"Of course," he said, his voice still kind. "Take all the time you need." Turning to his butler, he said, "Make sure that she has whatever she needs. I'm going to make arrangements for dinner tonight at Kwong's."

"I shall be sure to have your new car ready for your outing, sir," Klein said as he bowed to his master.

"Thank you, Klein," Hiroshi said appreciatively.

* * *

Asami emerged from her room about an hour later. Part of the time had been spent getting ready for the evening, but most of it had honestly been grappling with the decision of going to dinner or not.

 _I don't get it,_ she had thought as she started to curl her hair. _He's so different from the man that sent me to boarding school… Not to mention the one that hardly even talked to me while I was away for all those years… His own_ daughter _! Even after what happened, he ignored his daughter!_

Most of her wanted to scream at him until her voice gave out, to tell him every bitter resentment that had festered in her thoughts since the day he had abandoned her. Yet for some unknown reason, her bitterness continued to be repressed. Whether it was simply the fact that Hiroshi was her father or the unprecedented kindness he had been showing her, she couldn't tell.

 _I just have to make it through tonight and tomorrow, and then I'll be gone,_ she repeated to herself as she finished doing up her hair. _One dinner isn't going to kill me._

"Miss Sato?" Klein's voice sounded from just outside her door. "If you are ready, Master Sato is waiting in the greeting room."

"Yes, I'll be right out," she answered as she stood up and examined herself one last time. Her dark tresses were perfectly curled, her dark green dress was spotless, and her makeup was immaculate. _Why did I go to the trouble of doing this myself?_ She wondered. She knew that there were certainly staff members in the house that she could have called on to help her out.

Then again, as she had just finished recalling, she'd had several years to learn how to take care of herself. _It's just habit, nothing more_ ¸ she told herself. It wasn't like she had anything to prove- right?

"My, my, I feel underdressed," Sato laughed as his daughter came down the stairs. He was dressed very smart in a red-and-black suit trimmed with gold thread, so he was hardly giving himself any credit. "I'm impressed, Asami."

"Thanks, Dad," she said with a small curtsey as she stopped a few feet away from him. "I got it a few weeks ago for the graduation party."

His right eyebrow went up as he asked, "Are there any boys that I need to have a word with?"

"Don't worry about that," Asami said dismissively. "A lot of them are smart, but they think they own whatever they come into contact with. Let's just say that I didn't exactly fit their image of how a girl should behave."

Sato's smile grew even broader as he said, "That's my girl."

* * *

The car ride to the restaurant was a surprisingly relaxed one, Asami thought. There were several new music releases on the radio that had not yet made their way to Ba Sing Se, and Hiroshi was happy to let her flip through the channels so that she could listen to whatever caught her fancy. The city also had a certain charm to it when it was lit up at night, the various lanterns and lights casting soft glows on the streets that seemed soothing somehow.

The restaurant itself was one of the bigger sources of these lights, casting its warm luminance for more than a city block. The name of the building was even made up of glowing characters, though the entrance itself seemed to be more low-key when it came to the illuminations.

"Flashy, isn't it?" Hiroshi chortled as they walked in the door. A waiter came quickly to lead them to the table that Sato had reserved for them.

"We're not exactly blending in with the majority of Republic City, either," Asami replied with a slight smile of her own as they were seated in a booth in one of the corners of the restaurant for a modicum of privacy.

"That's because you light up the town wherever you go," her father said without missing a beat.

"Remind me to pay you later," she tossed back.

"I see that your wit has grown to surpass even Klein's," Hiroshi conceded.

"Klein has a sense of wit?" Asami asked half-jokingly.

"Don't let him convince you to play a game of pai-sho," the man sighed. "I never thought that I would lose because I was laughing too hard to notice his white lotus gambit."

"Klein?" Asami asked again, eyes slightly widened.

"Klein," her father repeated. "Still, I've not a foe so skilled in pai sho since you were a little girl. Imagine what you could do now!" He laughed at the last part, until he noticed Asami's downcast expression. "Sweetie, what's wrong?"

"I haven't played pai sho since I… left home," she said glumly. "I doubt I'm any good anymore."

"You've not played even once?" Hiroshi was very surprised.

"No," she shook her head. "I doubt that I'm any good at it by now."

"Nonsense!" Hiroshi insisted. "It's like riding a bicycle- I'm sure you'd pick it up quickly enough to beat your old man before you leave town."

"Was that a challenge?" she asked curiously, in spite of herself.

"Tell you what," Hiroshi said with a more mischievous grin as he turned in his seat to face her directly. "If you can beat me in a game of pai sho before lunchtime tomorrow, I'll give you a brand-new satomobile to take back with you to Ba Sing Se. The latest model, of course."

"Really?" she asked with a raised eyebrow. That seemed more like the cheesy apology gift that she had half-expected him to try and bribe her with, but it was definitely arriving in a manner much different than what she had expected. This actually sounded like it might be fun, she thought to herself.

"Really," he nodded. Holding out his hand, he added, "I'm even willing to shake on it."

"Wait, what do you get if I lose?" she asked, eyeing the proffered hand with mock suspicion.

"Hmm…" he seemed to think for a minute. Then his face cleared and he said, "I get to take you shopping wherever you would like for the afternoon."

Her other eyebrow went up as she said, "That sounds like a lose-lose for you."

"Asami, with a daughter like you, I never lose," Hiroshi said kindly. "I'm very proud of what you've accomplished, and I can't wait to see where you will take your life."

Suddenly, Asami found that she couldn't take it anymore. _Then why weren't you there to watch me grow up?!_ She shouted in her head.

The bitterness and whirling emotions that she had been trying to repress suddenly came to the fore, and before she could bite her tongue, her dark eyebrows met in the middle of her forehead as she growled, "Well, that's the last thing I'd expect to hear from the man that put me on a train and shipped me half a world away when Mom died. Not to mention hardly talking to me in all that time. That's some real love you've been showing, _Dad_." The venom in her own voice surprised even her, and by the time she saw the look on her father's face, she knew that she could never take it back.

The man looked as though someone had visibly struck him in the gut in public and spat on him for good measure. His mouth was loosely hinged on his mouth, and his eyes were wider than his spectacle. He was even clutching at his stomach as though the wind had been knocked out form him. He looked like he might cry.

Asami worked her jaw up and down, but no sound came out. Not that it would do her any good, she realized. No excuse existed for the insults that she had just hurled at him.

Eventually, she managed to say with a dry voice, "I… I'm sorry, that was…"

"No," he said, his shoulder sagging as he looked down at his lap. He looked as though he had aged five years in the last five seconds. Yet still, he went on to say, "No, you're right. I don't deserve to be your father, Asami. I wasn't there for you when you needed me the most." He paused briefly before saying, "I wish that I could say that I'm only now seeing that, but that would be a lie."

Asami dared not speak, dared not move. Whatever he was about to say, he had every right to say after what she had done.

Sensing that she was going to remain silent, Hiroshi continued, "I wronged you, Asami, and for that, I am sorry. I know that no number of apologies can fix what I have done, but it's all I have to offer." He took a deep breath before saying, "I should have been there for you after Yasuko was killed, but I let my own weakness get the better of me."

His hollow maroon eyes came up to meet hers as he said, "It wasn't your fault, Asami, but… every time I looked at you, I saw your mother… and my heart would break all over again. I couldn't take it… so I sent you away. I was so selfish, I sent away my own daughter…" He placed his hands over his eyes as he began to cry.

"I'm so sorry, Asami…" he sobbed as he shuddered uncontrollably. He looked so different from the smiling, jocular man that had welcomed her home that it was hard to reconcile the fact that they were the same person. Just like her, she realized, he had been putting up a front. Unlike her though, his mask had not been for his own benefit, but for hers' alone.

"I'm… I'm sorry, too," she sniffed as she felt tears pooling in her own eyes. _I had no idea…_ she thought as she watched her father crumbling in front of her. _No wonder he never visited… All he could ever see was Mom._

She wasn't condoning what he had done in any way, but at long last, she finally understood just how deeply her mother's death had affected him. She had been so wrapped up in her own hurt, she hardly ever took into consideration what must have been going on with him after the love of his life was cut down by a firebending thug. While it would do nothing to change the past several years, it did give her a strange sense of closure that she didn't realize had been lacking.

 _Yet_ … She wanted so badly to forgive him, but years and years of isolation and bitterness clamped her mouth shut. _I just can't do it…_

* * *

They cut dinner short and came back to the manor the instant that they were done eating. Not that they had eaten much of anything, but neither one of them was able to stomach much after the conversation that they had just had.

The car ride was spent in complete silence, neither one of them sure of how to proceed from where they stood. It seemed that they were teetering on the edge of either reconciling, or never speaking to one another again. It was no small wonder that neither party wanted to risk making a wrong move.

Yet they both knew that the clock was ticking, too. Asami would leave the day after the next, and both of them had the sense that if things were not resolved by then, they never would be.

So how to proceed?

* * *

When they got home, Klein welcomed them at the front door. He quickly noticed their somber expressions, so he immediately surmised that it was best that they both retire for the night. He saw to it that Asami was escorted to her room by one of the remaining handmaidens while he followed Hiroshi to his room.

"I think I'll take some jasmine tea before I retire, Klein," Hiroshi said heavily.

"I'll brew a pot myself, sir," Klein replied neutrally.

"Thank you," the older Sato said. "I just wish I knew what to do, Klein…"

"I take it that things did not go according to plan, sir?" the butler asked after a brief pause.

"They couldn't have gone any worse," his master said with his head bowed. "I upset her in the worst way possible, and to make things worse, I broke down like a child in front of her. She's probably humiliated at the thought of her father acting like a little boy in public."

"If I may be so bold as to volunteer my own opinion, sir," Klein said slowly. "I don't think she's focused on that particular detail right now. She still grieves for her mother, and I believe that part of this may reside in the fact that you two never got to grieve together."

Most masters would have been infuriated with their servant for being so bold in their speech, but Sato was not most masters. Besides, Klein had served him for so long and with such devotion that he considered the man like family. He valued his opinion more than almost anyone else he knew.

"What should I do?" Sato asked the man.

"May I suggest the shrine, sir?" Klein said. "I think it would do her some good."

"I would have thought that too difficult for her to handle right now," Hiroshi said, somewhat surprised. "I can barely handle it as it is."

"Precisely my point, sir," the butler said. "She won't be able to handle it alone. Which means that you'll be able to be there for her, just as I imagine she would have wanted you to be when Lady Sato passed away." The words bit at Hiroshi, but Klein kept up his calm appearance. "As I said, sir, it's only a suggestion."

"Hmm…" Sato muttered, deep in thought. "I will have to think about this. Thank you, Klein. I think I'll take that tea now."

"As you wish, sir," his butler said with a deep bow before turning on his heel and walking away.

* * *

It was a rough night for Asami. The entire time, she was plagued with nightmares that she had forced herself to repress ever since she was little- the night when a firebender killed her mother, Yasuko.

Over and over, her subconscious forced her to watch the moment where her mother took the fire dagger meant for her father. That's right- the man from the Agni Kai gang had tried to get Hiroshi's account information out of him, but Sato was too strong-willed for them to wrest the information out of him. In a blind fury, the thug formed a small blade of fire and went to stab him in the heart.

The fire found itself in someone's heart- just the wrong Sato.

It was as though Asami were standing behind an impenetrable screen of glass, watching her younger self cowering on the floor, just barely peeking out enough to see what was happening, paralyzed with terror.

She kept screaming at her parents and her younger self, telling them to run, get away, and do something, _anything_ that could change this nightmare. Maybe, if things could be done differently this time, she could wake up and find that her mother was waiting for her at the breakfast, just like she used to…

After perhaps the tenth time- or was it the hundredth- Asami gave up, shrinking into a ball, mirroring her younger self, trying to shield herself from the awful vision in front of her.

 _Why?_ She thought through her shuddering and sobbing. _Why did this have to happen?_

Though it was doubtful that she would ever find the answer, it was a question that would haunt her for the rest of her life.

Maybe there was some greater purpose behind of all this. Maybe someday it would all make sense to her- but right now, all Asami wanted was for her mother to wake her up and tell her that it was just a bad dream, and that when she went back to sleep, she would have peaceful, happy dreams.

 _It's… not fair…_

* * *

She woke up more exhausted than when she had gone to sleep. When she first opened up her eyes, she was greeted by the glare of the morning sun shining through her window. Pushing herself up with an audible grunt, she rubbed her eyes and thought, _Weren't those closed…?_ She distinctly remembered closing the curtains to avoid letting in moonlight before she retired for the night.

"Good morning, Miss Sato," said a quiet, familiar voice. Asami bolted upright, nearly tangling herself in the duvet as she turned around to see a portly woman in her fifties, standing patiently by the door with a soft smile.

"Maria?" Asami asked with surprise.

"I'm flattered that you remember me, Ma'am," the older woman said as she smiled wider. "You always gave Master Klein your undivided attention, so I wasn't certain if you would remember the rest of us." She added a little chuckle at the end to show that it was all in good humor. "Master Sato sent me in to help you get ready for the day."

"Of course I remember you!" Asami said, a smile of her own breaking out as she moved to greet the woman. "You were mom's maid- how could I forget you?" She hugged the lady, not caring that it wasn't proper manners to hug a servant.

"You likely remember me having to shoo you out of your mother's room on more than one occasion," Maria laughed as she returned the hug. Once they pulled away, a bit of sadness entered her wrinkled face as she said, "My condolences about Lady Yasuko… I never got the chance to say it proper, what with you moving away to Ba Sing Se."

"I know," Asami said, her mood also dampening. "It all seemed to happen so fast…"

Maria noticed the change in atmosphere, so she forced herself to smile and pat the girl on the shoulder as she said, "Now, now. Let's brighten that face, shall we? Such beauty is done no service by a cloudy expression."

Asami cracked a brief smile at the lady's attempt to lighten the mood, but she quickly said, "I don't feel like there's much to smile about, Maria."

"Nonsense, there's always something to smile about, Miss Sato," the maid told her. "Come now. Let's get you something to wear, and then something to eat. You'll feel better with a full stomach."

"After last night, I don't think I could eat anything," Asami sighed heavily.

"I think you will," Maria grinned. "Chop chop! Let's have you turning heads when you visit the city today!" Asami's protests were ignored for the next twenty minutes.

* * *

Hiroshi was pacing back and forth in his office, nervousness wracking his thoughts. _If don't get this right, I'll lose her,_ he thought. _This is my only chance to make things right with Asami…_

There was a knock at the door, so he stood still and composed himself before saying, "Come in, please."

In stepped Asami, wearing a very smart getup that both showed her style and beauty once again. It was a business outfit made up of dark gray and red, with a series of golden buttons running down the right side for decoration. In a way, the colors reflected his own attire, he realized as he glanced at his own suit.

"You look good, Asami," he said. It was a neutral way to start, he thought.

"Thanks, Maria picked it out for me," she said, shifting awkwardly in place. "Umm… Klein said that you wanted to see me after I had breakfast. …About last night-"

"Hold on," Hiroshi said as he held up a hand to stop her. "I should be the one to apologize first." She opened her mouth to protest, but then thought better of it and decided to hear him out. So he said, "I realize that I have no right to call you my daughter any longer. Sending you away was probably the cruelest thing a man could do, and I deserve every bit of anger that you have been harboring against me for all this time. I see that now… I supposed that somehow by welcoming you with open arms, it would be enough to let us start over, make up for all of the time we lo- No… The time that I took from you." He took in a deep, shuddering breath before continuing. "That was very foolish of me. I didn't even think about apologizing to you, and that was very wrong. For all of this, I extend my deepest apologies, Asami." Dropping his gaze away from her brilliant green eyes, he fell silent.

There was a long, long silence in the study.

It was finally broken in a most unexpected way. "I forgive you, Daddy," Asami said as she crossed the distance between them and hugged her father.

His arms went around her on instinct as she began to cry, but his mind was reeling from what he had just heard. "You…?"

"I forgive you," she repeated as she wept into his shoulder. "And I'm sorry too- I never once thought about how Mom dying would have affected you, too. Please forgive me?" She pulled back to see that her father had tears running out of his own eyes.

"There is nothing to forgive, Asami," he told her. Reaching up with a shaking hand, he wiped at one of the tear tracks marring her face as he added, "Thank you, Sweetie." They embraced again, both crying from relief and the sheer joy that comes from true forgiveness.

* * *

After nearly ten minutes of this, the father and daughter finally pulled apart and smiled with new light in their eyes for the first time since she had come home. "There is something I would like you to see," Hiroshi told her as he gestured for her to follow him out of the room.

They walked across the top floor of the house before arriving at a large set of double doors that Asami knew well. "Your room?" she asked, puzzled. "What's in there?"

"Actually, I don't sleep in here anymore," Hiroshi told her as he reached into his pocket to pull out a golden key. "I moved down the hallway after your mother passed away- I just couldn't bear to sleep in here anymore. Klein is actually the only other person besides me that has a key to this room."

"What's in there now?" she asked him.

"See for yourself," Sato said as he turned the key in the lock. With the seal undone, he pushed open the doors to let Asami inside.

Wondering why he was being so secretive, Asami stepped in past him and suddenly she understood. Inside were pictures all over the walls, some vases, writings, even a small shrine where incense could be offered. The one thing that they all had in common- Yasuko Sato. The pictures- even one of the paintings- were in her images, the writings were some of her favorite sayings, the vases had been used by her to hold her favorite flowers- the fire lilies- and the shrine had her name inscribed in gold in the middle of it.

"Everything in here has a piece of your mother in it," Hiroshi said as he stepped in behind her. "This is where I come whenever I can't face the world without her."

Asami had new tears running down her face as she stroked one of the delicate red flowers that her mother had loved so much. She remembered Klein helping her to make a crown out of them for her mother on her birthday, and the joy that had lit up Yasuko's face when her daughter had presented her with the gift.

Sato's voice became a little huskier as he pressed on to say, "I know… that she's always with us… wherever we go. But… sometimes… it helps…" He stopped, unable to continue, tears running down his face anew.

"I miss her, Daddy," Asami said as she sank to her knees. "I miss her so much…" The sobbing started again, the tears that she had never got to shed alongside her father, the sound of a hurting soul that cries out in its isolation.

"I know, Sweetie," Sato said as he knelt beside his daughter and embraced her. "I miss her too." He knew how stupid it sounded, but it was all he could say.

That was okay, though. Asami didn't need flowery speeches about how everything would turn out okay, or promises that the pain would eventually go away. She just needed her daddy.

 _This is all I need…_ she thought as she returned the hug. Though the tears were not joyous this time, they were still shed with her father- the one thing she had wanted since she was a little girl. At long last, the isolation was over.

* * *

Things took a very different direction in her life than she had expected after that. Before the next day, the day when she was supposed to return to Ba Sing Se for her new job, her father made a very interesting proposition.

"I won't stop you from going back to the Earth Kingdom if that is your heart's desire," he told her that evening while they were staring at a pai sho board, mid-game. "Though I would be sorely remiss to see us part ways so soon."

"What did you have in mind?" she had asked.

"I want you to stay so that we can finally be a family like I should have done all those years ago," he said bluntly. "I also know that you wish to pursue a career in the business world as well. So if you decide to stay, I will arrange for several of my shares in Sato Industries to be transferred to your name."

The full implications of his offer took a few seconds for her to process. "You want me to be a shareholder?" she gasped. "As in…?" A large smile broke out on her face.

"I'll have you as one of my branch managers, starting immediately," he had grinned, pleased at her reaction. "Before you ask, no, I'm not removing someone else to put you in a higher position. I really do need someone to fill the position of overseer in the moped's factory line."

"You're serious?" she asked, still somewhat in disbelief. "What about the other people on the board? Won't they object?"

"Perhaps, but your school records do you credit, not to mention the fact that you've already been offered another position very similar to what I'm offering," he quickly countered. "I shouldn't think that there will be too much fuss over the matter."

"Dad, I…" she was overcome, words failing her.

"I know you want your own life, Asami," Hiroshi said after a moment. "I don't hold that against you, at all. I just don't want to see us grow apart again. I'm afraid that if you go to Ba Sing Se, that's exactly what will happen, and this moment of clarity between us will only be that- a single moment."

She looked up at him again to see that he was truly in earnest. "You sure you can trust your shares to a rookie like me?" she grinned lightly, her heart lifting further.

"Your last name is Sato, Asami," he chuckled happily. "It's in your blood. Your drive to succeed was matched only by your mother's. Oh, the ideas she had…" He paused as he remembered the conversations he used to have with his wife, but for the first time in a long time, he was able to recall those times with more fondness than despair.

Looking at his daughter, he said, "You'll go far, no matter what path you choose, Sweetie. But it would make your old man very happy indeed if our paths could run alongside one another instead of in opposite directions."

"Okay, now you're just laying it on a little too thick," she teased him. "You're not that old, Dad."

"Can you blame a man for trying?" he laughed.

"Any other reasons you want to keep me around?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.

He pretended to think for a moment before he said, "Well, I think I'd like it better if I could keep an eye on any potential suitors for my little girl…"

"Why, do you have someone in mind?"

"Heavens no!" he exclaimed. "You'll be making that decision all on your own- spirits know I'd end up on the short end of that stick if I made a bad choice!"

"Hey, you chose Mom," Asami grinned. It still hurt to talk about her mother- and in a way, she knew it always would- but it was more bearable than before. "Based on that, I think you have a pretty good judge of character."

"Hah," the man chortled. "Maybe you're right… Still, I'm not taking any chances! Your career and your heart, Asami… they are yours to follow, wherever they lead you."

"Well," she said, straightening in her seat. "In that case, I think I'd better tell Klein to get ready."

"For what?" Hiroshi asked, puzzled.

"For a lot of luggage," she grinned, her green eyes twinkling. "I have a lot of clothes that I'll be bringing from Ba Sing Se. Oh, and can I use the phone real quick? I need to call my new boss and tell him that I've found a better employment opportunity."

Hiroshi Sato had never been happier to summon Klein in his entire life.

Asami Sato had leaned back in her chair as she eyed the pai sho table, thinking to herself, _Just watch, Mom. I'll make both you and Dad proud._

* * *

That autumn, Asami was speeding over to a staff meeting with her human resource and production managers when she had what some might call a fateful collision with a certain tall, dark, and handsome firebender named Mako.

* * *

 _Special Thanks go to:_

 _Northern Warrior  
N-Sight  
Kidkaboom1_

* * *

 **Mataras: So I assume many of you are at a point where you're beginning to ask, 'What happened to Korra and Gyatso?'**

 **Roku: Now that you bring it up...**

 **Aang: Don't worry, Mataras has it in hand. They're going to be making their return next chapter, where- halfway through the year- we will be finishing the first episode of the show.**

 **Kuruk: Will there be fighting?**

 **Mataras: What does this look like, Dragon Ball Z?! I'm trying to put out some high-quality work here!**

 **Yang-Chen: That must take up a lot of time.**

 **Mataras: Yeah-huh. Pretty much the main reason I set up that donation page on that website I mentioned in the author's note.**

 **Aang: Wait a minute... don't you have a show you're supposed to be getting on?**

 **Mataras: Oh yeah! The livestream that I first did three weeks ago has become a weekly thing, so I'm going live every Friday afternoon at 7 p.m. Mountain Time. Tune in to find out more about rewards for donations- including but not limited to early access to chapters before they're released here- and weekly topical discussions- something that you guys can be a part of in real-time! Just go to the link on my profile page to get to my YouTube channel. Hope to see you there!**

 **Roku: Next time on the Legacy of Korra- Enter Republic City.**


	5. Author's Note

Forgive Me

Dear Readers,

I realize that the timing of this news could not be any worse. I truly wish that I had a second letter prepared for tomorrow, so that we could all laugh when I called out 'April Fools' to each of you. Unfortunately, I am the only fool here, it seems.

I have drawn up this letter to notify you all that the following stories are no longer being continued by me- Star Sword II: Return to the Stars and Inheritance of a Dragon Slayer. Legacy of Korra is still on hiatus, and The Red Swordsman: Shattered Fragment is still ongoing, though the updates will be slow.

I'm sure by now you've asked why this has come about, and why have I only said anything after being silent for so long? You deserve answers, my personal privacy be damned.

First and foremost, my wife and I are expecting our first child in little more than a month, an event which will occupy the rest of our lives, and it is an endeavor I take very seriously. This will consume more of my time and effort than anything else ever has or ever will, yet I will not resent it- I will embrace it.

The second reason is my health had fallen in various ways over the last few years, especially so in this year so far. Not only does my diabetes continue to be a problem, other issues have begun to spring from it, namely neurological damage to my right arm. The limb shakes incessantly and often causes me pain. My heart is also experiencing a problem that cause me short- yet very intense- bouts of agony. In summation, I am in my twenties, and my body is already falling apart… Bugger.

The third and final reason is all entirely on me. It's quite simple, really- I burned myself out. I tried to write about too many things at once, each of them- I'd like to think, anyway- were good ones, but I let my ideas run away too fast for me to control. I tried very hard to keep going on them all, but it became beyond me. This will not happen again.

All of this is leading to say that I am so very sorry. As an entertainer I have failed myself, and more importantly, all of you. I hope that my apologies make up at least partially for my absences in these preceding months.

The messages and reviews I've received for these stories have been incredibly encouraging to me, and I appreciate them greatly. Thank you all for sticking with my stories, in spite of my erratic upload schedule.

The only thing I can do now is offer a bit of good news. I have a new project, set to be released tomorrow (that is, Easter 2018) that my wife has been helping me out with. Featuring a brand-new original character of my design, this story is set to be much more lighthearted and fun than my usual works. It's a crossover of Dragon Ball Z and Fairy Tail, set to begin immediately post-Tenrou, and it will be titled A Saiyan's Tail. It's the first story I've begun since we were married, and I think it will be a delight for all who read it. I know it has been to write it.

Thank you again for hearing me out. If any of you have an interest in continuing where my stories have left off, please let me know. I would love the chance to see these characters finish their journeys, even if it's not by my hand.

Best Regards,

Mataras


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